LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.’s women’s soccer team made more history on Tuesday when it placed four members on the 2009 Daktronics/NCAA Division II West Region first team.
Junior forward Liz Franco was named the West Region Player of the Year in voting done by the region’s sports information directors. She was joined on the 13-player first team by teammates Amanda Matthews, Alex Conley and Caroline Hanna.
Franco becomes the first women’s soccer player in Cal State L.A. history to earn region Player of the Year honors and the four Golden Eagles to earn All-Region honors in a single season is also a program record.
Franco, who set new program records for assists (17) and points (43) and tied the mark for goals (13), was earlier named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year. The Golden Eagles set a new program record with 17 wins, won their first-ever CCAA Championship and earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Region playoffs.
She was outstanding in the CCAA Championship Tournament, scoring four of the team’s five goals while winning the conference title. She had the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Chico State in the semi-finals and had three goals and an assist in a 4-0 win over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the championship game.
Cal State L.A. lost in the second round of the NCAA playoffs on Sunday to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 2-1, to end its season with a 17-3-2 record.
Franco has already set a new program career record for assists (30) and is second in points (66) and fourth in goals (18).
Matthews, a senior midfielder, earned first-team honors for the first time. She was named the CCAA’s Most Valuable Defensive Player of the Year. Matthews, who played in 81 games in her Cal State L.A. career, returned in 2009 after missing the 2008 season with an injury. She had one goal and six assists this season.
Conley, a junior forward who transferred to Cal State L.A. from NCAA Division I La Salle, was second on the team this season in scoring with 11 goals and six assists and 28 points. She also earned first-team All-CCAA honors.
Hanna, a junior defender, also played her first season for the Golden Eagles. She was named the CCAA Championship Tournament Most Valuable Defensive Player after helping the Golden Eagles to a pair of shutouts in the tournament over Chico State and Cal State Dominguez Hills.
All four Golden Eagles are now eligible for All-America honors. Cal State L.A. has never had an All-American in women’s soccer. The All-America teams will be announced on Dec. 1.
2009 Daktronics/NCAA Division II West Region Team
Player of the Year: Liz Franco, Cal State L.A.
First Team:
Goalie: Kristin Armstrong, UC San Diego
Midfielders: Ali Sward, Chico State
Anne Wethe, UC San Diego
Kelsey Jenkins, Seattle Pacific
Amanda Matthews, Cal State L.A.
Forwards: Liz Franco, Cal State L.A.
Jocelyn Charette, Seattle Pacific
Alex Conley, Cal State L.A.
Jessica Murphy, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Defenders: Caroline Hanna, Cal State L.A.
Lindsay Catton, Sonoma State
Taylor Sawyer, Seattle Pacific
Paige Peel, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Second Team:
Goalie: Maddie Dickinson, Seattle Pacific
Midfielders: Makenzie Pedrotti, Cal State Dominguez Hills
Kari Foreman, Montana State-Billings
Natasha Aiono, BYU-Hawaii
Kelly Irving, Western Washington
Forwards: Mikala Wilkes, Dixie State
Lisa Garcia, Cal State Stanislaus
Emily Mearns, BYU-Hawaii
Jill Webb, St. Martin’s
Defenders: Ellen Willson, UC San Diego
Carly Bliss, San Francisco State
Bryn Regan, Western Washington
Alicia Patten, Western Washington