Nov. 5, 2009
HARTFORD, Conn. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish women’s soccer team earned two of the six major individual awards and placed five players on All-BIG EAST conference teams during Thursday night’s BIG EAST women’s soccer banquet at the Hartford Hilton. Junior forward Lauren Fowlkes earned co-BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors while sophomore Courtney Barg was named the conference’s Midfielder of the Year award.
Fowlkes (Lee’s Summit, Mo./St. Teresa’s Acad.) and Barg (Plano, Texas/Plano West) were also named to the All-BIG EAST First Team and were joined on that squad by sophomore defender Jessica Schuveiller (Plano, Texas/Plano West). Junior midfielder Rose Augustin (Silver Lake, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) and sophomore forward Melissa Henderson (Garland, Texas/Berkner) were All-BIG EAST Second Team selections.
The five honorees have combined to help Notre Dame to a 15-3-1 overall mark and a 10-0-1 record in BIG EAST play. The Irish, currently ranked fourth in the NSCAA poll, won their 12th BIG EAST regular season title in 2009 and advance to the BIG EAST tournament for the 14th-time in its 15-year league membership (all but 2002), having won the BIG EAST postseason crown 10 times (1995-2001, 2005-06 & 2008).
Fowlkes has helped lead a potent Irish attack, playing in all 19 games thus far and netting eight goals and three assists for 19 points. Her eight goals and 19 points rank second on the team, and all three totals represent career highs for the former center back. Five of her eight goals have come in conference play and three of her eight goals proved to be game winners.
Fowlkes, who was named the BIG EAST offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 28, follows in a long line of Irish players who have captured BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors. Combined with Kerri Hanks (who earned the award in 2008 and 2006), Brittany Bock (2007) and Katie Thorlakson (2004 and 2005), Fowlkes is the sixth consecutive member of the Fighting Irish to earn the award.
Barg has been a steadying presence all season long in the Irish midfield, having started 19 games for the Irish. She has notched a goal and two assists for four points with her goal proving to be the game-winning strike versus Northwestern on September 20.
Barg became the first member of the Fighting Irish to be named the conference’s BIG EAST midfielder of the year since Jen Buczkowski earned the award as a junior in 2005 and just the third all-time (Anne Makinen 2000). Barg is also the first sophomore to earn the honor since 2001, when Boston College’s Sarah Rahko won it.
Barg and fellow All-BIG EAST First Team selection Schuveiller helped the Irish defense record 13 shutouts on the year and yield only a 0.73 goals against average per-game. Schuveiller has also started 19 games for the Irish, scoring the game-winning goal at Cincinnati on Sept. 25 to erase a 1-1 tie in the 82nd minute. She has also added two assists on the year.
Starting all 19 games in the Irish midfield, Augustin has scored five goals, including one game winner, and added a team leading seven assists for 17 points, the third-best total on the team. The seven assists are a career high mark for the midfielder.
All told, six different schools were represented in the major awards. Georgetown graduate student Sara Jordan and joined forward Fowlkes as a co-BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. Connecticut redshirt senior Brittany Taylor earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors, while Rutgers senior Erin Guthrie was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. In addition, Villanova freshman Heidi Sabatura was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Marquette head coach Markus Roeders was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
The No. 4/7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish will continue postseason play at 7:30 p.m. (ET) Friday when it takes on St. John’s in a BIG EAST Conference Championship semifinal contest at Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn. The game will be televised live to a national cable audience by CBS College Sports. For tickets, please contact the University of Connecticut ticket office at (877) 288-2666.
2009 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Major Award Winners
BIG EAST Offensive Players of the YearSara Jordan, Georgetown, Gr., FLauren Fowlkes, Notre Dame, Jr., F
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the YearBrittany Taylor, Connecticut, R-Sr., D
BIG EAST Midfielder of the YearCourtney Barg, Notre Dame, So., M
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the YearErin Guthrie, Rutgers, Sr., GK
BIG EAST Rookie of the YearHeidi Sabatura, Villanova, Fr., F
BIG EAST Coach of the YearMarkus Roeders, Marquette
Team Fair Play AwardSt. John's
2009 BIG EAST Women's Soccer All-Conference Teams
ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAMJenifer Anzivino, Rutgers, Sr., DCourtney Barg, Notre Dame, So., MCarolyn Blank, West Virginia, Sr., MKelly Eagan, Villanova, Sr., DLauren Fowlkes, Notre Dame, Jr., FErin Guthrie, Rutgers, Sr., GKSara Jordan, Georgetown, Gr., FJessica Schuveiller, Notre Dame, So., DRachael Sloan, Marquette, So., F/MBrittany Taylor, Connecticut, R-Sr., DIngrid Wells, Georgetown, R-So., M
ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAMRose Augustin, Notre Dame, Jr., MKelly D'Ambrisi, Georgetown, So., MMelissa Henderson, Notre Dame, So., FAshley Jones, Rutgers, Jr., FNatalie Kulla, Marquette, So., GKAmanda Pasciolla, St. John's, Sr., MTina Romagnuolo, Syracuse, Fr., MLinda Ruutu, Connecticut, Fr., MKatie Ryan, Villanova, So., FHeidi Sabatura, Villanova, Fr., FTara Strickland, DePaul, Jr., M
ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAMLiz Carroll, Pittsburgh, Jr., MNicole Doran, St. John's, Sr., DNicole Mailloux, West Virginia, Sr., DRosie Malone-Povolny, Marquette, Jr., MSarah McGrath, St. John's, Sr., MMegan Mischler, West Virginia, Jr., FNicole Pasciolla, St. John's, Sr., DTaylor Patterson, USF, Fr., MKacey Richards, Connecticut, Jr., MKatelyn Ruhe, Pittsburgh, So., MKat Weiler, Pittsburgh, Jr., D
ALL-BIG EAST ROOKIE TEAMCatherine Cabot, Georgetown, Fr., DAshley Cuba, Pittsburgh, Fr., FChelsea Grant, DePaul, Fr., DAlly Miller, Marquette, Fr., DTaylor Patterson, USF, Fr., MBry Rodriguez, West Virginia, Fr., MTina Romagnuolo, Syracuse, Fr., MJenna Roncarati, Providence, Fr., MLinda Ruutu, Connecticut, Fr., MHeidi Sabatura, Villanova, Fr., FCaroline Szwed, West Virginia, Fr., M
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