Ball State University Athletics
Soccer Places Five on All-MAC First Team
November 05, 2015 | Soccer
MUNCIE, Ind. -- The Ball State soccer team had a record-tying five players named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team announced Thursday, highlighted by MAC Defensive Player of the Year Lorina White and Freshman of the Year Abbie Boswell.
Chelsy Swackhamer, Leah Mattingly and Alyssa Heintschel were also first-team selections following the Cardinals' MAC championship season. Only three previous teams in league history had five first-team picks in a season (Miami 2002, Central Michigan 2009 and Central Michigan 2012).
White is the first Ball State player ever to be named one of the league's players of the year, while Boswell is the first Cardinal ever to take the top freshman honor.
“We are delighted to have our team represented in such a way,” Ball State coach Craig Roberts said. “It's especially exciting that all but one of these players will return next year, and we look forward to seeing them build on their successes. While five of our players were rewarded today, it's truly all about the team for us. All the players in our program have contributed this year and have enabled some to be spotlighted like this.
“I also want to recognize my assistant coach Marcie Klebanow, who was instrumental in bringing these players to Ball State and helping to put this roster together. It is rewarding for us as coaches to see our team honored in this way, and we are happy for the players.”
White, Mattingly and Heintschel helped form a daunting defensive unit that suffocated opponents all season long. The Cardinals allowed an average of only 6.6 shots and 3.1 shots on goal per game. The team recorded nine shutouts and surrendered more than one goal only twice all season.
White, a junior from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., joined the Cardinals this year from Monroe College, where she was the junior college national player of the year a season ago. She made an immediate impact at Ball State, locking down opponents in the middle of the back line and also generating offensive opportunities. Her four goals ranked third on the team.
Mattingly, a junior from Floyds Knobs, Ind., contributed three goals – all during conference play – and two assists. An All-MAC Second Team selection last season, she held down the left back position for the third year in a row. In her three-year career, Mattingly has played all but 26 minutes for the Cardinals and has been highly effective both offensively and defensively.
Heintschel, a sophomore from Oregon, Ohio, started every game between the posts and tied the Ball State record for wins in a season by a goalkeeper with 14. She posted seven solo shutouts and played the majority of the minutes in two more. Her 0.54 goals against average during conference play tied for the best in the league, and she ended the season with four consecutive shutouts.
Boswell and Swackhamer helped Ball State turn in one of the top offensive seasons in the league as the team outscored its opponents by a margin of 35-13, including 21-6 in conference play. The pair was the league's second-highest scoring duo with 19 combined goals.
Boswell, a rookie forward from Woodridge, Ill., scored 10 goals, the most in a season by a Ball State freshman and the second most for a Cardinal of any class. She scored seven of her goals during MAC play to match Swackhamer for second best in the league. Boswell also ranked among the league leaders in shots per game (3.2, 2nd) and total points (20, 5th) for the full season.
Swackhamer, a senior from Zionsville, Ind., finished one behind Boswell for the team lead with nine goals to rank fifth in the league. She added three assists to lead the Cardinals with 21 total points. Swackhamer's five game-winning goals, four of which came in conference play, were the most of any player in the league. Her nine goals tied for fourth in the Ball State single-season record book.
Ball State finished its season at 14-3-3 overall and won the program's first MAC regular season championship since 2007 with a 10-1 conference mark. The 14 overall wins were the second most of any team in the program's history, while the 10 league wins were a school record.
2015 MAC Women's Soccer Awards
Freshman of the Year: Abbie Boswell, Ball State
Offensive Player of the Year: Jenna Hellstrom, Kent State
Defensive Player of the Year: Lorina White, Ball State
Coach of the Year: Nate Norman, Western Michigan
All-MAC First Team
Chelsy Swackhamer, Ball State, MF
Kassidy Kidd, Buffalo, MF
Lauren Gierman, Northern Illinois, MF
Kylie Nylen, Western Michigan, MF
Abbie Boswell, Ball State, F
Donavan Capehart, Kent State, F
Jenna Hellstrom, Kent State, F
Leah Mattingly, Ball State, D
Lorina White, Ball State, D
Jackie Hall, Buffalo, D
Lindsey Lee, Western Michigan, D
Alyssa Heintschel, Ball State, GK
All-MAC Second Team
Julia Benati, Buffalo, MF
Eliza Van de Kerkhove, Central Michigan, MF
Isa Echeverri, Toledo, MF
Gina Maddi, Western Michigan, MF
Celina Carrero, Buffalo, F
Emma Kahn, Western Michigan, F
Irene Young, Western Michigan, F
Katie George, Akron, D
Paige Culver, Kent State, D
Lacey Zahn, Western Michigan, D
Annabelle Hegeman, Akron, GK
MAC All-Freshman Team
Abbie Boswell, Ball State
Erica Hubert, Bowling Green
Brianna Shingary, Buffalo
Mary Carlson, Central Michigan
Lexi Pelafas, Central Michigan
Madison Pogarch, Central Michigan
Zoie Reed, Central Michigan
Kristin Nason, Eastern Michigan
Paige Culver, Kent State
Korrie Sauder, Miami
Taylor Sarver, NIU
Stephanie Rowland, Ohio
