St. Mary’s Women’s Soccer Nabs School Record Seven All-CAC Picks

Lauren Carrier

York, Pa. - St. Mary's College of Maryland, the 2008 Capital Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Champions, placed seven Seahawks on the All-CAC teams to tie a program record which was set by the 1992 squad.  Brianne Weaver became the third Seahawk women's soccer coach to earn CAC Coach-of-the-Year honors, while senior forward Lauren Carrier (Crownsville, Md./Old Mill) was tabbed as the CAC Player-of-the-Year.

Along with being named player-of-the year, Carrier earned a spot on the All-CAC First Team.  Joining her on the top team were junior midfielder Sophia Esparza (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair), senior defender Katie Klotz (Bowie, Md./Good Counsel) and senior goalkeeper Marie Oben (Glenn Dale, Md./St. Mary's, Annapolis).

Freshman forward Bridget McGovern (Wrentham, Mass./King Philip Regional), senior midfielder Taylor Cervenka (Damascus, Md./Damascus), and junior defender Karisa Carroll (Long Island, N.Y./Ward Melville) were all named to the second team.

In just three seasons, Coach Weaver has mentored the Seahawks (12-2-3) to the CAC title match twice, finally notching the crown this season with a 1-0 triumph over York (Pa.) College and with the conference title in hand, St. Mary's will be making its first-ever trip to the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament.  Her career record currently stands at 30-19-6 (15-6-2 CAC) and to date, she has coached two players-of-the-year, one rookie-of-the-year, and 15 all-conference selections.

Carrier is now a two-time first team pick after leading the Seahawks this season with 29 points in 12 games played on a team-high 13 goals and three assists.  The 5-5 forward, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on October 15 versus Virginia Wesleyan College, also led the conference with 2.42 points per game and 1.08 goals per game.  A 2006 All-CAC First Team honoree, she tallied a career-high four goals and eight points in a 4-0 win at Hood College.  Carrier was tied for second in the CAC with a team-leading three game-winning goals.

A three-time All-CAC First Team selection, Esparza was the second-leading scorer for St. Mary's with 27 points on 11 goals and a team-best five assists.  In the CAC, the 5-7 midfielder ranked tied for second in game-winning goals (3), third in points per game (1.69), fourth in both assists per game (0.31) and goals per game (0.69), tied for fourth in goals, tied for fifth in assists, and sixth in points.  She registered career-bests of three goals and seven points in a 6-1 win at Wesley College.  Esparza recorded two hat tricks this season as she also tallied three goals in a victory over Gallaudet University.

Klotz is a three-time All-CAC First Team pick as she anchored a defensive unit that posted an 0.89 goals against average and recorded eight shutouts.  The 2006 CAC Player-of-the-Year, the 5-5 defender also contributed on offense with a game-winning goal at McDaniel College and an assist versus then No. 9 Johns Hopkins University.

Oben is making her first appearance on the first team after earning second team laurels in 2006.  She recorded six shutouts and a 10-2-2 record, while sporting a 0.83 GAA in 1295 minutes and a .857 save percentage.  Oben matched her career-high with 11 saves in a 3-2 double overtime victory at Marymount (Va.) University.

The third-leading scorer for the Seahawks was McGovern, who had a stellar rookie campaign with seven goals, including two game-winners, and a second-best four assists.  The 5-4 forward notched a season-best four points as McGovern scored both goals in a 2-1 win over Christopher Newport University.

This is Cervenka's second straight second team nod as she made the squad last season.  The 5-6 midfielder tallied three goals and an assist.  She netted a season-high three points on a goal and an assist in a shutout of Gallaudet.

A two-time All-CAC honoree in lacrosse, Carroll is garnering her first all-conference selection in soccer.  She was a key component of the Seahawk defensive unit that allowed only 93 shots on goal, posted a team 0.89 GAA and recorded eight shutouts.  Carroll also dished out an assist on the game-winning goal at McDaniel.