All-Conference (
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SPRINGFIELD – Regular-season champ Drake has claimed of the league’s top individual honors, with Bulldog senior forward Rebecca Rodgers taking the league’s Player of the Year honors, while her senior teammates Ali Smith and Haley Morris have been tabbed the Valley’s Defensive Player of the Year and Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. Joining the rest of her teammates is freshman forward, Hannah Bormann who was named Freshman of the Year. The four headline a list of 32 student-athletes named to the 2017 MVC All-Conference teams, selected by the coaches, and announced by the league office Thursday.
Player of the Year: Rebecca Rodgers, Drake
Defensive Player of the Year: Ali Smith, Drake
Goalkeeper of the Year: Haley Morris, Drake
Freshman of the Year: Hannah Bormann, Drake
Coaching Staff of the Year: Drake
MVC Fair Play Award: Evansville, Loyola, Northern Iowa
Drake’s senior forward, Rebecca Rodgers, leads the Bulldogs with 12 goals and 2 assists. Rodgers scored the game-winning goal in five consecutive games, three of which were conference matches. Rebecca is Drake’s all-time goals scorer and ranks fifth all-time in MVC history, with 39 goals. Rodgers, with 92 points, needs one more point to become Drake’s all-time leader. She is a four-time All-MVC selection, who was second team as a freshman and first team in 2014, 2015. It marks the second time Rebecca has won the league’s Offensive Player of the Year award.
Ali Smith has been a mainstay in the Drake lineup and plays the lead role in the Bulldogs defense, starting all 18 games this year. Smith and the Bulldog defense allowed just six goals in MVC play, while posting three shutouts. Ali has tallied two goals and four assists from the backline in her senior campaign. Smith netted the game-winner against Illinois State to clinch the regular-season title.
The MVC Goalkeeper of the year is Drake’s Haley Morris. The senior started 17 of 18 games has 89 saves in those 17 matches this season. Morris recorded a 0.80 goals against average in league matches, with three shutouts. Morris’ 12 wins this season is tied for the single-season program record. She is the second Drake goalkeeper to win the league’s top honor in program history.
The 2017 Freshman of the Year -- Hannah Bormann of Drake -- plated in 18 matches in her first season. Hannah had 10 points, scoring three times while adding four assists. Bormann is the first Bulldog player to earn Freshman of the Year honors since 2002.
Drake’s coaching staff has earned the MVC’s Coaching Staff of the Year honor. Drake won the league with a near-perfect 6-0-1 slate, six points ahead of second-place Missouri State. The Bulldogs have 13 wins this season, tying their program record. Additionally, the Bulldogs tallied eight shutouts this season. Drake head coach Lindsey Horner is in her 10th season at Drake. She’s assisted by Kevin Brennan, Hugo Macedo, and Niki Zelenovich.
Three teams earned the Valley’s Fair Play Award, which is structured after the FIFA Fair Play honor. It is awarded to the Valley squad(s) that have the fewest penalty cards during all MVC matches. Evansville, Loyola, and Northern Iowa each received only one yellow card during league play. The award winners were recognized this evening at an awards reception in Springfield, Mo., prior to the semifinal games on Friday.