Peach Belt Releases Women's Soccer All-Conference Team

AUGUSTA, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference released the 20-member women’s soccer All-Conference team on Thursday. Clayton State’s Olaitan Yusuf was named the PBC Player of the Year. Columbus State’s Stephanie Parrish is the Freshman of the Year and Lander’s Chris Ayer was named the Coach of the Year.

Olaitan becomes only the second player in PBC history to be named Player of the Year more than once after earning the honor in 2005. Also named the 2004 PBC Freshman of the Year, she leaves Clayton State as the PBC’s all-time leading scorer with 83 career goals. In 2007 she led the conference with 20 goals in the regular season and is ranked third in the nation in goal scoring. A senior from Ilorin, Nigeria, Yusuf had seven game-winning goals this season.

Stephanie Parrish scored 12 goals for the Lady Cougars in 2007, eight of them in the last five games including two in a win over USC Aiken in the first round of the PBC tournament. A native of Lawrenceville, Ga., Parrish leads the PBC champions in goals scored and points. She is ranked fifth in the league in goals and tied for sixth in points. She becomes the second Cougar to earn the award in the four-year history of the team, joining teammate Kellie Myles who won it in 2004.

Chris Ayer is taking Lander places the team has never been before. In only his second year as the first full-time women’s soccer head coach the school has ever had, Ayer led the Bearcats to a school-record 13 wins and the team will make their first-ever appearance in the PBC semifinals after beating UNC Pembroke 2-0 in the first round, which Lander hosted also for the first time. The Coach of the Year award is his first.

Below is the 2007 All-Conference team as voted on by the league’s head coaches. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

2007 PBC Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team 

 Forwards
Kristin Burton, Armstrong Atlantic State
Hayley Ferrell, GCSU
Jannica Finnberg, Lander
Olaitan Yusuf, Clayton State

Midfielders
Lefke Boysen, UNC Pembroke
Jamie Clarke, UNC Pembroke
Stacey Copeland, Lander
Lyndsi Stricklen, Armstrong Atlantic State

Goalkeepers
Monica Sanchez, Columbus State
Rachel Hine, Lander

Defenders
Alyssa Anderson, Armstrong Atlantic State
Morgan Cobb, GCSU
Megan Honig, Columbus State
Judith Ospina, Columbus State

At-Large Selections
Sarah Hawkins, Columbus State
Alex McManus, UNC Pembroke
Jamie Nevin, GCSU
Hannah Ospina, Columbus State
Stephanie Parrish, Columbus State
Lauren Schenk, North Georgia

Player of the Year
Olaitan Yusuf, Clayton State

Freshman of the Year
Stephanie Parrish, Columbus State

Coach of the Year
Chris Ayer, Lander