Burkhardt And Crenshaw Earn 2024 All-SCAC Women's Soccer Honors
In exclusive voting by the league’s head soccer coaches and sports information directors, Alyssa Simien of Texas Lutheran University was selected SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year for a record third consecutive year while Trinity University’s Kylie Harris was tabbed as SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year.
HOUSTON, Texas – In exclusive voting by the league's head soccer coaches and sports information directors, Alyssa Simien of Texas Lutheran University was selected SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year for a record third consecutive year while Trinity University's Kylie Harris was tabbed as SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year. Complete Release
In that same balloting, Harris was also selected Newcomer-of-the-Year while Trinity head coach, Dylan Harrison, along with his assistant Spencer Valdespino, earned SCAC Coaching Staff-of-the-Year accolades.
Senior MF Aubrey Burkhardt (Bossier City, La.) and sophomore MF Sarah Crenshaw (Alexandria, La.) represented the Ladies on the prestigious team. They had identical offensive stats as each scored two goals and tallied two assists for a total of six points apiece. Burkhardt played in all 18 of the Ladies' matches this season, starting 16, and Crenshaw started all 18 matches in her first season with the Maroon and White after transferring from Roanoke College. Both Burkhardt and Crenshaw earned All-SCAC honors for the first time in their careers
A senior forward from San Antonio, Texas, Alyssa Simien currently leads the league in goals scored (13), goals scored per game (0.76), points (34) and points per game (2.00), and is second in shots on goal (31) and third in both assists (eight) and game-winning goals (four). In Week 9 this season, Simien had back-to-back hat tricks against University of the Ozarks and Centenary, totaling 14 points on six goals and two assists, and earned conference Player-of-the-Week honors for her performance – her fifth career POTW accolade. The Texas Woman's University transfer has been brilliant in her three years in Seguin, totaling 40 goals and 15 assists for 95 points in 54 matches, making her the program's fourth-leading scorer all-time heading into this weekend's conference tournament. Simien is the first player in league history to earn SCAC Offensive POTY honors three times in a career since the league began recognizing both an Offensive and a Defensive POTY in 2003. Simien received 15 votes in the balloting for Offensive Player-of-the-Year honors, followed by senior forward Michaela Bosco of Trinity who received the remaining seven first-place votes.
Trinity's Kylie Harris, a first-year defender from Missouri City, Texas, made history by earning both Defensive Player-of-the-Year and Newcomer-of-the-Year honors and becomes the first player to be selected a Player-of-the-Year (Offensive or Defensive) while also being recognized as the league's top newcomer. A two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Week selection this season, Harris anchored a Tiger defensive squad that has surrendered the fewest goals in league play, allowing just one goal in 10 conference games with a goals-against-average of 0.10. For the season, Trinity is currently first (and tied for eighth in the nation) in goals against average (0.29) and has permitted just five goals allowed all season. The Tigers have shutout their opponent in 15 of 17 matches this season for an .882 shutout percentage, good for second in the nation. Harris also chipped in offensively, scoring one goal and assisting on two others for four points – with all her offensive production coming in league play.
Harris' selection as Defensive Player-of-the-Year represents the fourth consecutive year and 13th time overall a Trinity player has taken home the league's top defensive honor. She was the clear choice for Defensive POTY, receiving 16 first-place votes in the selection process. Senior defender Kaelyn Riley of Concordia University (Texas) and Jessica Robinson of Texas Lutheran received three votes each.
In the balloting for Newcomer-of-the-Year, Harris was again the clear choice, receiving 12 votes from the coaches and SIDs. First-year forward Laila Brown of McMurry University received four first place while first year forward Emma Payne picked up three votes. First defender Noelani Ajel of Texas Lutheran, first-year forward Jetta Broquard of Austin College and first-year forward Lindsey Gomez of Southwestern University received one vote each.
In his ninth season at the helm of the Trinity program, Dylan Harrison led the Tigers to their 15th SCAC women's soccer regular season title in the last 16 years, with a perfect 10-0-0 league mark. Heading into the SCAC Tournament, this year's edition of the Tigers is tied with Texas Lutheran for the most goals (44) and assists (37) and is attempting to lead the league in both categories for the 20th consecutive year. Where Trinity really separates itself is on the defensive side of the ball where the Tigers have allowed just one goal in conference play and five all season, posting shutouts in 15 of their 17 matches (second-best shutout percentage in the nation). During conference play, Trinity outscored its opponents 30-1 and has a 122-2 margin over the last three seasons. The award marks the sixth time in Harrison's career and the 20th time a Trinity head coach (or staff) has been named SCAC Women's Soccer Coach-of-the-Year. His six total COTY honors ties with former Trinity head coach Nick Cowell for the second most by a single coach in women's soccer history.
