FIVE ALMA WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS RECOGNIZED BY THE MIAA
Five Alma Scots Women’s Soccer Players were recognized by the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association for their performances during the 2008 season, one in which saw Alma College reach the League Championship for the first time in school history.
F Jessica Swan (Romeo, MI) and MF Kelley Walsh (Linden, MI) made first team All-MIAA, while D Morgan Rudd (Jackson, MI), MF Carly Reising (Otsego, MI) and F Tara Fitzsimmons (Marshall, MI) were honored with All-MIAA second team honors.
The season ended with a 3-0 loss to Calvin College in the MIAA Championship Game, and it marked the best MIAA finish for the Scots in Women’s Soccer. With only one senior leaving the program, three-time captain, Christine Wheatley (Canton, MI), Alma is poised for even greater days ahead.
“In the second half of the Championship, Calvin clearly demonstrated their experience in playing games of this magnitude,” stated Head Coach, Jeff Hosler. “But, our girls played very hard to the end, and I believe we come away from this knowing we can compete as an elite MIAA team.”
Swan finished the season with 12 goals and five assists, good for 29 points and earned MIAA Player of the Week honors three times – week four, week eight and week ten . She also netted six game-winning goals (1st in the MIAA) during the year. As a freshman, Swan garnered MIAA second team honors.
Walsh, a team captain, missed six non-conference games with a broken wrist but was a huge factor in the Scots’ MIAA success. She finished the season with one goal and five assists for seven points, but her game is best known for the complete aspect of what she does on the field. She has also been recognized as MIAA second team after the 2006 and 2007 campaigns.
D Morgan Rudd (Jackson, MI) started every game in 2008 and played all but 14 minutes on the entire MIAA season. She had one goal and was recognized as MIAA Defensive Player of the Week after the third week of games.
F Tara Fitzsimmons (Marshall, MI) finished the season with four goals and six assists, good for 14 points in the the league. She was second in the MIAA in assists and was coming off 2006 MIAA Honorable Mention honors.
The final Scot to garner notice was M Carly Reising (Ostego, MI), a freshman who finished with seven goals and three assists, good for 17 points.
“We had a tremendous season, and it will go down in the record book as the most successful women’s team in Alma history in terms of our place in the conference standings,” said Hosler. “Most importantly though, was that we improved on a daily basis. I believe the girls have gained the understanding of what it takes to move this program in the right direction.”
Posted: Thu, November 20th, 2008 at 11:56PM
