Peach Belt Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team Released

AUGUSTA, GA – The Peach Belt Conference released the 2010 women’s soccer All-Conference team at a banquet in Augusta as the PBC Fall Festival gets underway.  27 players were named to the first and second team, the team was expanded by one spot due to a tie on the second team.  For the first time, the PBC will award co-Players of the Year as Clayton State’s Cherie Sayon and Columbus State’s Stephanie Lowery were tied in the number of votes received.  UNC Pembroke’s Britney Bennett was named the Freshman of the Year and Armstrong Atlantic State’s Eric Faulconer was named the Coach of the Year.

Stephanie Lowery has been a key part of Columbus State’s run to a sixth-straight PBC regular-season championship.  The junior from Sandy, Utah, resumed the top spot in the league in points after scoring a goal and an assist in CSU’s first-round win over Lander in the PBC Tournament.  Lowery now has 39 total points and is tied for the league lead with 17 goals scored.  10 of those scores came in conference games and five were game-winning efforts.  Lowery had a hat trick against Carson-Newman earlier this year and has five assists on the season.  Lowery becomes the first Cougar to ever earn the PBC Player of the Year award.

Cherie Sayon had a standout season for Clayton State.  The senior from Monrovia, Liberia, led the team and was tied for third in the PBC with 13 goals this season.  She was also fourth in the league in total points  and third in game-winning goals.  Sayon scored five goals in conference competition and was the only women’s soccer player in the Peach Belt to have a four-goal game during the year, which she pulled off against Brevard on Sept. 11.  Sayon is the third Laker to claim the Player of the Year award in the last six years, joining Nkiru Okosieme in 2004 and Olaitan Yusuf who won in 2005 and 2007.

Britney Bennett has enjoyed one of the best freshman campaigns of any goalkeeper in PBC history.  A true freshman from Seminole, Fla., she started in net in her first collegiate game and has played all but 237 minutes for the Lady Braves this season, leading the league with over  1,500.  She also leads the league and is ranked ninth nationally with a 0.35 goals against average which, if she can maintain it to the conclusion of the season, would be the second-lowest in PBC history.  Bennett also leads the league in shutouts with nine and has allowed only six goals to be scored against her this season.  She becomes the second Lady Brave in the last three seasons to win the Freshman of the Year award.

In his sixth season since founding the AASU women’s soccer program, coach Eric Faulconer wins his first PBC Coach of the Year award.  After claiming the team’s first PBC Tournament title in 2009, Faulconer guided the Pirates to their first share of the PBC regular-season championship in 2010.  AASU is the #1 seed for the PBC Tournament for the first time and are ranked #3 in the nation, the highest they have ever been. Now 13-2-2 on the year after Tuesday’s quarterfinal win over Clayton State, Faulconer is 83-29-10 in his career.

The 2010 women’s soccer all-conference team is listed below as selected by the league’s head coaches.  Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own players.

2010 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team

First Team
 
Forwards
Stephanie Parrish, Columbus State
Kristina Pascutti, Armstrong Atlantic State
Cherie Sayon, Clayton State
Anna Svensson, UNC Pembroke
 
Midfielders
Faye Corbett, UNC Pembroke
Stephanie Lowery, Columbus State
Morgan Mitchell, Armstrong Atlantic State
Kate Walton, Columbus State

Defenders
Kelli Bahr, Armstrong Atlantic State
Kansas Bayly, Columbus State
Carey Patterson, Armstrong Atlantic State
Casey Smith, North Georgia

Goalkeeper
Britney Bennett, UNC Pembroke
 
Second Team

Forwards
Samantha Abrahart, North Georgia
Christine Prince, Montevallo
Jamie Shaw, Lander
Nadima Skeff, Armstrong Atlantic State
Lindsay Zullo, Flagler
 
Midfielders
Karen Bonilla, Georgia College
Courtney Cawley, Armstrong Atlantic State
Asgerdur Palsdottir, Montevallo
Natalia Valentine, Clayton State

Defenders
Fanny Forsman, UNC Pembroke
Kim Gaughan, Columbus State
Kelly Martin, North Georgia
Jordan McKenzie, Columbus State

Goalkeeper
Willi Babillis, Columbus State

Co-Players of the Year:
Stephanie Lowery, Columbus State
Cherie Sayon, Clayton State

Freshman of the Year:
Britney Bennett, UNC Pembroke
 
Coach of the Year:
Eric Faulconer, Armstrong Atlantic State