Click here for the complete Daktronics All-Central Region women's soccer team.
ALAMOSA, Colo. — Four Fort Lewis College women's soccer players were named to the Daktronics Women's Soccer Division II All-Central Region team, regional coordinator Chris Day announced today.
Sara Egbom and
Hayley Hollenga were named to the first team, while
Megan Striedel and
Madyson Wellcome received second team honors.
Egbom, a 5-foot-3 fifth-year senior midfielder from Hope Christian High School in Albuquerque, N.M., earned first team all-region honors for the first team. As a junior in 2010, she was named to the Daktronics All-Central Region second team (picked by sports information directors) and the NSCAA All-Central Region third team (picked by coaches). She's also a three-time All-
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference performer, a three-time RMAC All-Academic selection, and a one-time Academic All-District VII second team pick (in 2010).
As a senior, she's amassed 13 points on three goals and seven assists. She scored the only goal and eventual game-winner in FLC's 1-0 win over Regis Sunday in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Egbom ranks among FLC's career leaders in assists (third, 18), goals (fifth, 21), total points (fifth, 60), and games played (eighth, 80).
“Sara is a player who has grown into a fantastic leader for us,” said fifth-year FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “She plays with a lot of passion and is the person in the middle that helps us stay connected from back to front.”
Hollenga, a 5-foot-7 fifth-year senior forward from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., has been named to four all-region teams during her career. She was also a second team NSCAA All-American in 2010, a three-time All-RMAC selection, a three-time RMAC All-Academic pick, and the RMAC Athlete of the Month this September. As a junior in 2010, she also appeared in ESPN's “Faces in the Crowd.”
Hollenga is FLC's career leader in scoring (116 points), goals (43), assists (30), and game-winning goals (15). She was named to FLC's All-Century Team, which featured the 100 top athletes, coaches, and administrators in school history, earlier this fall. She's also played on seven FLC teams that have qualified for NCAA playoffs — four in soccer and three in basketball. She leads the Skyhawks in scoring again this year with 28 points on 10 goals and eight assists.
“Hayley has been the most consistent threat the program has ever had and she performs well under pressure,” said Clarke. “She is one of the best attacking players in the region.”
Striedel, a 5-foot-6 sophomore midfielder from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Ariz., received all-region honors for the first time. Earlier this season, she was named to the All-RMAC second team and RMAC All-Academic first team. She has 14 total points on six goals and two assists this season.
“Megan is a straight-up hard-nose type of player,” said Clarke. “She wins tackles and connects passes. You can't ask for much more out of a midfield player.”
Wellcome, a 5-foot-4 sophomore from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., earned second team All-Central Region honors for the second year in a row. She was named to both the Daktronics and NSCAA all-region teams a year ago as a true freshman. She also received second team RMAC All-Academic honors in 2011, has received RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice, and was picked by league coaches as the 2011 RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.
“Madyson is a tough player who can do it all,” said Clarke. “She tackles and marks players quite well, and she just keeps getting better.”
Twenty-six student-athletes from 12 schools in the Central Region were voted to the all-region first and second teams. The two teams consist of four forwards, four midfielders, four defenders, and one goalkeeper.
Fort Lewis shared the region lead with Colorado Mines and Minnesota State with four players each on the squad.
The team is sponsored by Daktronics, Inc., an acknowledged world leader in scoring, timing, and programmable display systems for virtually every sport at every level of competition. Sports Information Directors from each school in the region nominated and voted for the Daktronics all-region teams.
First team all-region performers are eligible for the Daktronics All-America teams, which will be announced on Nov. 30.
Fort Lewis (15-2-4), the defending Central Region champions, travels to Golden where they'll face No. 8 Colorado Mines (16-2-3) at 1 p.m. Friday at the CSM Soccer Field in the NCAA Division II Central Region championship. Should the Skyhawks win, they'll face the winner of Friday's Midwest Region title matchup between No. 1 Grand Valley State (19-0-2) and No. 9 Northern Kentucky (17-4-0), played at 3:30 p.m. Friday in Golden. Friday's winners will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at the CSM Soccer Field in the Elite Eight.
The winning side Sunday will advance to the NCAA Division II Final Four, to be held in Pensacola, Fla., from Dec. 1-3.