Daktronics All-America Teams
SAN ANGELO, TX – Cal State L.A.’s women’s soccer team earned its first-ever national honors when the Daktronics NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer All-America Teams were announced.
Junior forward
Liz Franco, the West Region Player of the Year, earned third-team honors, while senior forward
Amanda Matthews received honorable mention. Franco and Matthews become the first players in the program’s history to earn All-America recognition.
The teams were selected by sports information directors from NCAA Division II schools and conferences. First-team All-Region picks from eight regions advanced to the national ballot. A total of 39 student-athletes representing 23 different institutions filled out the three All-America teams with an additional 17 players earning honorable mention.
Junior forward Shakira Duncan of West Florida was named the Ron Lenz National Player of the Year. She had 32 goals and 12 assists for a total of 77 points for West Florida.
The West Region was not well represented on the All-America teams. Franco was the only player from the West Region to be included on the first three teams. She became the first Cal State L.A. women’s soccer player to earn Region Player of the Year honors after leading the Golden Eagles to their first California Collegiate Athletic Association championship and a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Region playoffs.
Matthews was one of five players from the West Region to earn honorable mention. Seattle Pacific had two players – Jocelyn Charette and Taylor Sawyer – receive honorable mention, while Cal State Dominguez Hills defender Paige Peel and Sonoma State defender Lindsay Catton also made the list.
Franco, who set new program records for assists (17) and points (43) and tied the mark for goals (13), was also named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year. The Golden Eagles set a new program record with 17 wins and won their first-ever CCAA Championship.
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. ended its season with a 17-3-2 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA playoffs.
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, 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.