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A10 Womens Soccer All-Conference Predictions
A10 Womens Soccer All-Conference Predictions
Christopher Rieman
Published by Chris R
10-31-2011
A10 Womens Soccer All-Conference Predictions

DAYTON (OH) -- The regular season is over so lets try to figure out who's up for A10 womens soccer recognition for the Dayton Flyers. The A10 office usually releases the actual awards a day before the A10 Tournament begins. That starts on Thursday.

We're going to cast OUR votes for A10 awards. Over the years the A10 has had a mind of its own. Missy Gregg once scored twice the number of goals as any other player in the league but the Player of the Year went to a senior from UMass. So take it with a grain of salt in what they do -- oftentimes it makes very little sense. My understanding is the coaches cast votes and can vote for only players from other teams. Dont know if thats still the case.

Some basic assumptions:

Because LaSalle won the A10 outright, to the victor goes the spoils. They had the best defense in the league and one of the best in the country. Expect the league Offensive and Defensive POY to likely get picked from LaSalle. There is also Midfielder of the Year but midfielders are far more subjective.

In most cases, a defender on the best defense gets Defensive Player of the Year. And the highest goal scorer on the first place team usually gets Offensive Player of the Year as long as their stats are competitive with the rest of the A10 offensive leaders.


OUR PICKS:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
F Colleen Williams, Dayton

Williams is tied with two other players in the league with 36 points. LaSalle's frosh sensation Kelsey Haycook, and Becca Wann from Richmond also have 36. In Williams' favor is her point total of 12 goals/12 assists mean she's responsible for more total goals (24) than the others two. Reputation might also play a role. The A10 basically fell over themselves trying to keep freshman Missy Gregg from winning A10 POY as a true frosh -- and she had stats that doubled the next best striker. So if the A10 continues to show reluctance in giving Offensive Player of the Year to a frosh, Williams once again is the safer choice.

What could happen? Haycook gets it. Best player on the best team that beat Dayton earlier in the season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: GK Melissa Sanger, LaSalle

Sanger is the safe bet for this award based on her 0.32 GAA, which is almost twice as good as the next best goalkeeper. She has 13 shutouts, four more than second best.

MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR: Alexis Garcia, Dayton

This award is far more subjective than the offensive or defensive awards because midfielders do a lot of things that don't show up in box scores. Midfielders are also more difficult to stand apart because they aren't performing goal-line tackles or flooding the net with goals. The Flyer midfielders have also taken on a different role compared to years past where large imposing midfielders like Tesia Kozlowski were more like strikers playing in the middle third of the pitch.

We're at a loss here, so we'll pick the only midfielder that stood out to us all season in the A10. We've seen Garcia all season and think she'll have a fighting chance for the award, but her stats will (unfairly) work against her (2 goals, 3 assists). Also, most Midfielders of the Year end up making First Team A10 and there may be a shortage of spots on the First Team to get all of Dayton's players recognized.

Dayton's Jerica DeWolfe won Midfielder of the Year last season and Garcia, while a different kind of player, was just as important to the Flyers in 2011. Perhaps most impressive was not her talent to dribble and distribute to others and make teammates better, but her ability to win balls in the air and tackle with authority at every opportunity. For one of the smallest players on the field every night, she's packs one of the largest punches. Garcia's two goals and three assists will hurt her chances (unfortunately).

What could happen? Another worthy candidate wins it and Garcia battles for a spot on one of the All A10 Teams.

NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
Kelsey Haycook, LaSalle

Tied for top scorer in the league on the best team in the league.

COACH OF THE YEAR: Paul Royal, LaSalle

Guided LaSalle to 15-0-3 season after going 11-9-1 in 2010.


ALL ATLANTIC 10

The league usually votes All A10 First and Second Teams. LaSalle and Richmond, by virtue of finishing ahead of Dayton, should find an equal number of players getting recognized. Because of that, there's only so much room for Flyer players. LaSalle's stellar defense should give them the upper hand for defensive recognition.

FIRST TEAM

Colleen Williams, Dayton

Her numbers speak for themselves. Though she suffered through a month-long fog that looked entirely uncharacteristic, "Willy" re-gained some vintage bulldozer attitude in the last weekend of the season and reminded fans why she's the most imposing scorer in the league when the hard-knocks effort is there. Nobody in the league -- at least on any other team -- has equal ability to score or distribute. Already the UD record holder for assists, Williams will set her sights on the goal scoring record in 2012.

Emily Kenyon, Dayton

Every year, one Flyer performs at an All-Conference level and gets hosed. Sometimes its a numbers situation with not enough All-A10 spots to go around, while other times its a result of lousy scouting and voting. Last season, Allie Giner was that player. This season we're hoping it's not Kenyon. As a senior, she sacrificed past comfort in the midfield to play in the back line for the good of the team. No one else in a Flyer uniform has her combination of speed, physicality, and tackling ability. On a defense that struggled to maintain clean sheets, it was Kenyon who time and again saved the day with critical breakaway tackles or chase-downs to help the Flyers avoid disaster. In addition, her foot skills are solid and allow her to travel upfield to help start the offense. Her flip throw-ins provide added field position when UD needs a boost forward. She also possesses the biggest foot on the team. When UD needs a giant clear or long free kick into the offense, Kenyon is on the Johnny-on-the-spot. This is not a pick for stat geeks (0 goals, 4 assists). For soccer fans however, it's a relatively easy one.

Do we think the A10 will get it right? We're not convinced. In fact, we're betting they don't.

Juliana Libertin, Dayton

It's a tough call for the last of UD's First-Team All-Conference selections, but Libertin gets the nod over freshman Kelsey Smigel.

While Smigel has slightly better stats, Libertin has a way of impacting the run of play even when she's not scoring. Whether dribbling up the flanks and stretching defenses, or cutting inside for goal scoring opportunities (8 goals, 7 assists), her presence in the Flyer offense is never quiet. She's a matchup problem against every opponent. The sophomore is also multi-faceted. She takes most of UD's corner kicks and even spent time in the Flyer defense during the last matches of the season to help plug holes due to team injuries.

Perhaps most important though is Libertin's work rate. When the Flyers struggled their mightiest during the month of October, it was Libertin that never had a bad night at the office. Her tremendous fitness and drive to compete kept Dayton from getting shut out when the offense was sputtering.

SECOND TEAM

Kathleen Beljan, Dayton

Beljan is a First Team talent but suffered through injuries during much of the 2011 season and when she did play, she was more or less toughing it out. But that's what she's one for four seasons. The senior from Hilliard Davidson HS was a First Team selection last year when she made the Hermann Trophy Watch List. One of the best UD defenders in program history, her legacy has long been established and this year's added obstacles do not take away from the impact she had on the program. Beljan is a prototypical outside defender for the Flyer program -- somewhat undersized, but a big heart and work ethic that plays larger and louder than critics predicted.

On a defense that had an atypical season of allowing goals they shouldn't have, Beljan might be the last Flyer defender to make All Conference.

Alexis Garcia, Dayton

Had the Flyers finished first in the A10, perhaps UD could expect four players on the First Team, but LaSalle's undefeated season and Richmond's second-place finish will eat up valuable spots. In fairness, those squads earned it. For Garcia, her recognition may end up here -- and if it does, it's doubtful she earns A10 Midfielder of the Year.

No matter, her contributions to the Flyers this year were well-documented on this Web site. The junior is oftentimes the smallest player on the field but makes the most of her size with great effort and even better instincts. Garcia has that proverbial "feel" for the game and knows when to play a weak side ball or just go for broke and take a defender head-on. Her passes are weighted and placed where they should, and she wins head balls a player her size has every excuse to fall short on. Best of all, she tackles low and hard. Lowest tackler always wins. Garcia is a real thinker on the field and rarely loses her wits during a match.

Kelsey Smigel
, Dayton

Smigel had a terrific freshmen season with 11 goals and five assists, good for fourth best in the A10. The former prep All-American from Walsh Jesuit HS lived up the billing. After cracking the starting lineup a couple weeks into the season, she became a mainstay in the Flyer offense and proved a capable running mate to Colleen Williams at striker. Whether dishing to others or striking a clean ball on goal, her good instincts and sound technical ability make her a dangerous attacking player. What she lacks in break-away speed, she makes up for in persistence and good touches of the ball. While not a poacher, she's nevertheless a "right place right time" talent that knows where to be and when to be there.

OTHER CONTENDERS

Kelsey Miller, Dayton

Miller has been a mainstay in the Flyer defense for four seasons but may miss individual recognition in 2011 due to a UD's random defensive miscues that resulted in goals against. Not that Miller was at fault. In fact, most of the time it was a multitude of factors and Miller was performing damage control as Dayton tried to keep the ball out of the net. The previous All-Conference selection has been an underrated player for most of her career simply because central defender carries so much responsibility (and liability). Few players can handle it.

The vaunted "Dayton D" was never quite there in 2011 however. Naming three Flyer defenders All-Conference would suggest a better showing. While defending involves all 10 field players however, defenders will take the brunt of the fallout -- unfair or not. There's a legitimate case to be made that Miller did as much, if not more, than Beljan. Miller herself suffered through injuries this year but played every match and did so at a quality level. Beljan's reputation and two solid players battling for one spot may work against Miller.

ALL NEWCOMER

Kelsey Smigel, Dayton

For all of the aforementioned reasons she makes All A10 Second Team, Smigel appears on the All-Rookie squad.
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