Women’s Soccer Earns Two SoCon Postseason Honors
10/30/2012 6:39:28 PM | Women's Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Georgia Southern Women’s Soccer picked up a pair of Southern Conference postseason honors, ending a three-year drought. Zoe Van Gorder was named First Team All-SoCon at defender while forward Nora El-Shami was picked to the league’s All-Freshman Team.
Van Gorder, a native of Park City, Utah, is GSU’s first selection to the First Team All-SoCon since Ashley Toussaint in 2008. The Eagle defender scored her first goal at Georgia Southern against Samford on September 21st. She also assisted on a Courtney Collins score in the 5-0 win over Chattanooga for a banner opening weekend to the league season.
She also helped the Eagle defense finish the year with a 0.95 goals against average, allowing just 19 goals on the year. The defensive unit posted eight shutouts, including a 1-0 win over top-seeded UNCG in the opening round of the SoCon Tournament on Sunday.
El-Shami (Milton, Ga.) picked up GSU’s second-ever SoCon All-Freshman Team nod with a team-high five goals and three assists in her first year for the Eagles. Her most important score of the year was her 89th minute breakaway goal against UNCG to send GSU to the SoCon Semifinals for the second-straight year.
GSU continues play in the 2012 SoCon Women’s Soccer Tournament on Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. (ET) against Elon. The No. 8 seeded eagles face the fifth-seeded Phoenix for a spot in the SoCon Championship Final against either No. 7 College of Charleston or No. 3 Furman on Sunday afternoon.
Fans can follow their Eagles at GeorgiaSouthernEagles.com or receive short updates at facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics or on Google+ at gplus.to/GSAthletics.
2012 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team
Player of the Year – Stephanie DeVita, Fr., F, Furman
Coach of the Year – Chris Neal, Elon
Freshman of the Year – Stephanie DeVita, F, Furman
First Team
F Julia Holz, Appalachian State
F Stephanie DeVita, Furman
F Markie-Lynn Studnicky, Western Carolina
MF Mariana Garcia, The Citadel
MF Hannah Stanifer, Furman
MF Michelle Moll, Samford
D Zoe Van Gorder, Georgia Southern
D Cat Barnekow, UNCG
D Adrianne Mancino, Samford
D Sabbath McKiernan-Allen, Samford
GK Rose Hull, Furman
Second Team
F Vanessa Aponte, The Citadel
F Lauren Hein, UNCG
F Brittany Hoffman, Samford
MF Sarah Schaidle, College of Charleston
MF India Robinson, Furman
MF Karin Sendel, UNCG
MF Trine Taule, Samford
D Julie Calhoun, Davidson
D Shannon Foley, Elon
D Ali Simpson, Furman
D Stephanie Partenheimer, UNCG
GK Jamie Simmons, UNCG
All-Freshman Team
Samantha Childress, Appalachian State
Jannel Johnson, The Citadel
Jamie Alexander, Furman
Stephanie DeVita, Furman
Rose Hull, Furman
Nora El-Shami, Georgia Southern
Katherine Rodriguez, UNCG
Jamie Simmons, UNCG
Chesney White, UNCG
Alissa Hansen, Samford
Markie-Lynn Studnicky, Western Carolina
