The Cougars took home seven awards on the various All-WCC teams led by Nadia Gomes and Rachel Boaz who took home individual awards for their excellence this season.
Gomes is the third Cougar in the last five years to take home the All-WCC player of the year award. Ashley Hatch and Lindsi Lisonbee Cutshall also won this award for the Cougars. Gomes led the conference in goals scored with seven goals this season and nine goals this year in her position as attacking forward.
“Just Nadia’s commitment and effort to work rate,” head coach Jennifer Rockwood said. “A lot of times when forwards come into our program they are not used to having to play defense or find the ball, but in our system you have to do a lot more than that. You have to create for your teammates, you have to play a very high-pressure defense and she learned to do that and she has made tremendous strides.”
Boaz is the second Cougar to take home the WCC goalkeeper of the year award after Erica Owens won the award in both 2012 and 2013. Boaz has the best save percentage in the nation and she did not let in a single goal at home this season. Boaz started every game for the Cougars and had a total of 72 saves this year.
“We’ve been fortunate over all of our years to have great goalkeepers and so obviously we rely on them a lot,” Rockwood said. “We would prefer for our goalkeeper not to have to touch the ball, that’s always the goal, but when they do have to, we know Rachel’s back there to make a big save.”
Michele Murphy Vasconcelos and Elena Medieros join Gomes to represent the Cougars on the All-WCC first team. Vasconcelos began the season as a forward but switched halfway through to the midfield position where she contributed three assists and three goals. Medeiros also held down the midfield this year and added seven goals and one assist to the board for the Cougars.
Sophomore Bizzy Phillips played more than 80 minutes in every game this year for the Cougars and she joins Boaz on the All-WCC second team. Phillips has been essential to holding down the Cougars middle line and she contributed two assists and one game-winning goal from half field this season to earn her spot on the All-WCC second team.
Midfielder Maddie Siddoway was recognized as part of the All-WCC freshman team. Siddoway started every pre-season game for the Cougars as a freshman and averaged 40 minutes of playing time per game with one goal for the season. Defender Taylor Campbell Isom was named as an All-WCC team honorable mention. Isom held down the back line for the Cougars this year and even traveled forward for five shots on goal and one goal for the season.
“It says a lot about our team,” Rockwood said. “We are just fighters. They were hungry and they wanted to prove themselves. They want to work hard for eachother and they want to represent.”
The Cougars took six of 36 spots on the All-WCC teams this year and snatched two of the five individual awards offered. The Cougars are also one of three WCC teams to make it into the NCAA tournament which begins this Saturday at home against UVU.
