Women's Soccer Dominates WCC Awards
11/7/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
MALIBU, California " Following a dominant run that led to a West Coast Conference championship, the Pepperdine women's soccer team was rewarded with multiple WCC postseason honors, including four of the five major awards and the program's first-ever WCC Player of the Year in senior midfielder Bri Visalli.
Eight players in all received some type of award, including junior Brielle Preece (Goalkeeper of the Year) and junior Hailey Harbison (Defensive Player of the Year). Tim Ward collected the Coach of the Year award for the second straight year and the fifth time in his career.
Harbison, Preece and Visalli all made the All-WCC first team, while freshman forward Joelle Anderson, senior midfielder Meagan Harbison, junior midfielder Christina Settles and senior defender Jamie Van Horn were named to the All-WCC second team. Additionally, Anderson and Calista Reyes were picked to the WCC All-Freshman team.
Eleventh-ranked Pepperdine finished the regular season with a 14-2-3 overall record and won the WCC with an 8-0-1 record. The Waves outscored their league opponents 29-1, and the season totals are 45 to six.
Visalli either leads or is tied for the WCC lead in most offensive categories, including 13 goals, six assists, 32 points, five game-winning goals and 72 shots. Anderson is third in the WCC with nine goals and matched Visalli with six assists. Reyes has contributed five goals and an assist.
Preece, the Harbisons, Settles and Van Horn have contributed to the best defense in program history. The Waves' goals-against average of 0.31 ranks third in the nation and they've set a program record with 13 shutouts, including eight in the nine WCC games.
Visalli earned All-WCC honors all four years, including twice on the first team. This is Hailey Harbison's third time making All-WCC, but her first time on the first team. She is the first Wave ever to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. This is Meagan Harbison's second time making the second team. Settles and Van Horn had both made honorable mention once previously.
Preece is the second Wave to earn the Goalkeeper of the Year award, and the second in two seasons, following Hannah Seabert last year.
This is the second time in program history that the Waves have put three players on the All-WCC first team (2012). Having seven players earn any All-WCC honors ties the second most in any season.
Here's a complete list of the awards:
Player of the Year: Bri Visalli, Pepperdine
Defensive Player of the Year: Hailey Harbison, Pepperdine
Goalkeeper of the Year: Brielle Preece, Pepperdine
Freshman of the Year: Kelsey Turnbow, Santa Clara
Coach of the Year: Tim Ward, Pepperdine
All-WCC First Team: Hannah Diaz (Saint Mary's), Julie Doyle (Santa Clara), Hailey Harbison (Pepperdine), Alex Hussar (Pacific), Taylor Isom (BYU), Summer Mason (San Diego), Madie Mathews (BYU), Brielle Preece (Pepperdine), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara), Emma Tyrnauer (Loyola Marymount), Bri Visalli (Pepperdine).
All-WCC Second Team: Joelle Anderson (Pepperdine), Sonja Giraud (San Francisco), Maddie Gonzales (Santa Clara), Madeline Gotta (Gonzaga), Meagan Harbison (Pepperdine), Kim Hazlett (Portland), Alexa Loera (Santa Clara), Tara Meier (San Diego), Amber Michel (San Diego), Christina Settles (Pepperdine), Jamie Van Horn (Pepperdine).
All-WCC Honorable Mention: Gudrun Arnardottir (Santa Clara), Makayla Colohan (BYU), Shelby Cormier (Loyola Marymount), Nadia Gomes (BYU), India Jencks (Gonzaga), Samantha Jehnings (San Francisco), Rachel Lusby (Portland), Miciah Madison (San Francisco), Charlee Pruitt (Loyola Marymount), Heather Seybert (Saint Mary's), Autumn Smithers (San Francisco), Bryndis Run Thorolfsdottir (Pacific).
WCC All-Freshman Team: Joelle Anderson (Pepperdine), Makayla Colohan (BYU), Natalie Copenhaver (San Diego), Julie Doyle (Santa Clara), Kelsey Hill (Saint Mary's), Alexa Loera (Santa Clara), Calista Reyes (Pepperdine), Skylar Robledo (Loyola Marymount), Jordan Thompson (Gonzaga), Bryndis Run Thorolfsdottir (Pacific), Kelsey Turnbow (Santa Clara).
