Eight Bruins earn all-MCAC honors

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Eight Bellevue University women's soccer players earned all-MCAC honors highlighted by Meredith Shuman who was named the Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight season and Caitlin Stier who was named the Newcomer of the Year announced by the league office on Friday. 

Shuman, a three-time first team all-MCAC selection, led BU with eight goals and four assists for 20 points while anchoring a Bruin defense that registered 13 shutouts on the year.

Stier, a transfer from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, collected 11 shutouts, 47 saves and held a 0.44 goals against average. She was named the MCAC Defensive Player of the Week three times and earned the NAIA National Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 13.

Joining Shuman and Stier on the first team included Jenica Bloom, Amy Stigge, Paige Wischmann and Morgan Anderson.

Bloom finished second on the team with seven goals and five assists for 19 points while starting all 18 matches for the Bruins.

For the second straight season, Stigge earned first team all-MCAC honors after scoring two goals and one assist.

Wischmann earned first team all-conference honors for the first time in her career after being named a second team honoree as a freshman and sophomore. She recorded one goal and one assist on the season.

For the fourth time in her career, Anderson was named to the first team all-MCAC. She scored three goals and was a key component to BU's defense that notched 13 shutouts and held opponents to a 0.44 goals against average.

Mercy Darkoah and Emily Hester both earned second team accolades. Darkoah, a freshman from Sheffield, England, recorded six goals and seven assists while Hester started 16 matches in the Bruin backfield.

Head coach Andy Nicolarsen also earned MCAC Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row.

BU, ranked No. 23 in the latest NAIA poll, finished the regular season with a 14-1-3 record and a 5-0-1 mark in league play and claimed both the regular season and tournament titles to earn an automatic bid into the NAIA National Championship. Pairings and sites for the NAIA National Championship Opening Round will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 13.

All-MCAC First Team
F: Amber Longoria (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
F: Abby Zach (Saint Mary)
F: Libby Storie (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
F: Jenica Bloom (Bellevue)
MF: Amy Stigge (Bellevue)
MF: Eden Brown (OKlahoma Wesleyan)
MF: Paige Wischmann (Bellevue)
MF: Ashley English (Central Baptist)
D: Meredith Shuman (Bellevue)
D: Morgan Anderson (Bellevue)
D: Deanna Sidener (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
D: Carrie Berzins (York)
GK: Caitlin Stier (Bellevue)
GK: Jackie Swanger (Saint Mary)

Offensive Player of the Year: Amber Longoria (Oklahoma Wesleyan)
Defensive Player of the Year: Meredith Shuman (Bellevue)
Freshman of the Year: Abby Zach (Saint Mary)
Newcomer of the Year: Caitlin Steir (Bellevue)
Coach of the Year:  Andy Nicolarsen (Bellevue)

All-MCAC Second Team
F: Kristina Powell (Central Christian)
F: Lorena Medeiros (York)
F: Brittany Kemper (Central Baptist)
F: Mercy Darkoah (Bellevue)
MF: Whitney Brown (Saint Mary)
MF: Natalie Ventura (Central Christian)
MF: Morgan Tackett (York)
MF: Alex Meyer (Southwestern Christian)
D: Kristen Rash (Central Baptist)
D: Libby Fulmer (Central Baptist)
D: Emily Hester (Bellevue)
D: Ramsey Miller (Saint Mary)
GK: Jordan Veness (York)
GK: Savannah Longoria (Oklahoma Wesleyan)