Women's @ASUNSoccer All-Conference Announced; UNF's Reiss Voted Player of the Year
Women's @ASUNSoccer All-Conference Announced; UNF's Reiss Voted Player of the Year
All-Conference Teams/Awards
ATLANTA, Ga. - The North Florida duo of Thais Reiss and Mercedes Sapp highlighted the ASUN Conference Women's Soccer Postseason All-Conference accolades while being voted the Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year, respectively, by the leagues head coaches. Shelby Craft of Lipscomb was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year while the newly crowned Liberty Flames saw a Freshman of the Year honor in Meredith King. Head Coach Lang Wedemeyer of Liberty earned the Coach of the Year nod.
Reiss becomes the first-ever Osprey to be recognized as the Player of the Year after leading North Florida to the top seed in the South Division with a 6-0 conference record. On the season, the three-time All-Conference selection led the conference in points (23) and assists (5) while tying for first in goals (9) and sitting second in shots (45). The 2021 Preseason Player of the Year, Reiss was a unanimous First Team selection.
Shelby Craft takes home the Defensive Player of the Year honor and becomes the fourth Bisons to capture the award all-time. The Texas native, Craft led the backline to four shutouts this season and an unbeaten conference record which secured the Bisons the top seed heading into the postseason tournament. Craft notched two assists and a goal throughout the season while taking four shots all of which went on net.
North Florida's Mercedes Sapp was tabbed the Goalkeeper of the Year after leading the Ospreys to four shutout wins. This marks the first time an Osprey was voted as the Goalkeeper of the Year in ASUN history. The senior ranks first in the conference in fewest goals against (7), goals against average (.61) and second in save percentage (.788).
Liberty's Meredith King is the first Flame in ASUN history to be named Freshman of the Year. King totaled two goals this season one of which was the game-winner over the top seeded North Florida Ospreys in the semifinals that advanced the Flames to the Championship Round. Both of the Virginia native's goals were game-winners, she totaled five points this season giving out one assist and taking 13 shots on goal.
Lang Wedemeyer of Liberty collected his first ASUN Conference Coach of the Year accolade after entering the postseason as the fourth seed in the North and defeating two top seeds on his path to win the Championship title. The Flame led his squad to a 7-5-5 overall record capturing three conference wins. Wedemeyer and the team entered the postseason with a 0-2 ASUN Championship record but went on a four-game winning streak to claim the trophy. Liberty has scored seven goals in the last four wins, the Flames are set to face Washington in the NCAA College Cup on April 27 in Matthews, N.C.
Player of the Year: Thais Reiss, North Florida
Defensive Player of the Year: Shelby Craft, Lipscomb
Goalkeeper of the Year: Mercedes Sapp, North Florida
Freshman of the Year: Meredith King, Liberty
Coach of the Year: Lang Wedemeyer, Liberty
ASUN All-Conference First Team
GK - Mercedes Sapp, North Florida, Sr., Windermere, Fla.
*F - Thais Reiss, North Florida, Sr., Curitiba, Brazil
F - Erin Harris, Kennesaw State, Sr., Suwanee, Ga.
F - Cami Rogers, Lipscomb, Jr., Prattville, Ala.
*F - Kelli Beiler, Lipscomb, Jr., Mount Pleasant Mills, Pa.
MF - Becky Contreras, Kennesaw State, So., Dacula, Ga.
MF - Ariana Munoz, North Florida, Jr., Jacksonville, Fla.
D - Kajsa Lang, FGCU, Fr., Kalmar, Sweden
D - Cora Duininck, Liberty, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
D - Shelby Craft, Lipscomb, Sr., Frisco, Texas
D - Zara Siassi, North Florida, Fr. Lake Worth, Fla.
ASUN All-Conference Second Team
GK - Elyssa Francis, Bellarmine, Jr., Evansville, Ind.
F - Alyssa Abbondandolo, FGCU, Jr., Cape Coral, Fla.
F - Louise Lillback, FGCU, So., Stockholm, Sweden
F - Kasey Jamieson, Liberty, Jr., Lansing, Mich.
F - Molly Grant, Lipscomb, So., Plainfield, Ill.
MF - Natalie Teo, Bellarmine, Sr., Columbus, Ind.
MF - Ashley Labbe, FGCU, Fr., Lake Worth, Fla.
MF - Kendall Higgs, Kennesaw State, Jr., Loxahatchee, Fla.
MF - McKinley Burkett, Liberty, Jr., Moseley, Va.
D - Zoey Spitzer, FGCU, Sr., Naples, Fla.
D - Kendall Baker, Kennesaw State, Sr., Marietta, Ga.
D - Emily Patti, Lipscomb, Jr., Knoxville, Tenn.
ASUN All-Freshmen Team
*F - Meredith King, Liberty, Virginia Beach, Va.
*GK - Mia Krusinski, FGCU, Lewisville, Texas
*D - Haynes Grant, North Florida, Jacksonville, Fla.
MF - Ashley Labbe, FGCU, Lake Worth, Fla.
D - Kajsa Lang, FGCU, Kalmar, Sweden
MF - Gabby Holtrop, Jacksonville, Belleville, Ill.
F - Tianna Rivera, Kennesaw State, Miami, Fla.
MF - Rachel DeRuby, Liberty, Onedia, N.Y.
D - Sophia Palladino, Liberty, Forest, Va.
MF - Evee Reeder, Lipscomb, Roswell, Ga.
D - Zara Siassi, North Florida, Lake Worth, Fla.
* - Denotes unanimous selection
ASUN Conference, Atlanta, Ga. - the only DI conference headquartered in the ATL, our footprint's primary media, sports, business, transportation and cultural hub
The ASUN, a Division I conference member of the NCAA, boasts a membership of institutions that share visionary leadership, bold ambition and creative innovation. As a nimble adaptive conference, unafraid to blaze a national pathway for better service to our student-athletes, teams, and institutions, the ASUN has a proud history of firsts, national academic and athletic achievements and a conference culture that walks the walk with its four ASUN Beams. Students First! Rise. Connect. Impact. #ASUNBuilt by Bellarmine (Louisville), Central Arkansas (Conway), Eastern Kentucky (Richmond), FGCU (Fort Myers), Jacksonville (Fla.), Jacksonville State (Jacksonville, Ala.), Kennesaw State (Ga.), Liberty (Lynchburg, Va.), Lipscomb (Nashville), North Alabama (Florence), North Florida (Jacksonville, Fla.), and Stetson (DeLand, Fla.).