NAC Announces Women’s Soccer Post Season Awards

AURORA, Ill. November 16, 2006 - The Northern Athletics Conference announced its 2006 women’s soccer All-Conference Team and postseason awards. The Aurora University Spartan women’s soccer team, winners of the inaugural NAC Women’s Soccer Championship, placed six players on the first team, with Spartan Head Coach Kanute Drugan being named NAC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year. The award marked Drugan’s fifth time being named a conference Coach of the Year in his ten years as head coach at AU. His previous four Coach of the Year awards came when AU was a member of the former Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference.

The Spartan Women’s Soccer program made its fourth NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship appearance in the last six seasons. AU captured the Northern Athletics Conference championship with an 11-0 regular season record and went 2-0 in the NAC tournament. On the season, the Spartans out-scored their opponents in NAC play 84 to 6 (13 games). AU finished the regular season with a 17-3-2 overall record and captured their eighth conference title in the last 12 seasons. The previous seven titles came in the former Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference.

Those garnering NAC women’s soccer All-Conference First-Team recognition were sophomore forward Allison Bailey (Dixon, IL/Dixon HS, six goals and 10 assists), junior wing Laura Wagley (Sycamore, IL/Sycamore HS, 10 goals and three assists), senior defender Shalisse Mathieu (West Chicago, IL/Glenbard North HS), freshman midfielder Nikki Counsell (Oconomowoc, WI/Oconomowoc HS, eight goals and two assists), freshman forward Kim Knaub (Peoria, IL/Notre Dame HS, nine goals and three assists) and freshman midfielder Lauren Omsberg (Lombard, IL/Glenbard East HS, four goals and two assists).

Spartans freshman goalkeeper Jenny Jarvis (Naperville, IL/Naperville Central HS) joined the postseason award honors as she was named as a member of the NAC Women’s Soccer All-Rookie Team. Joining Jarvis were Counsell, Knaub and Omsberg. In her first collegiate season, Jarvis went 11-0 with seven shutouts, 24 saves and allowed just four goals in NAC play.

This season, AU set or tied numerous school records including new marks in season goals (99), assists (76) and points (274). The Spartans were led by Bailey and Jarvis. Bailey led the Spartans offense with 14 goals, 11 assists and two game winning goals, while Jarvis was a defensive ace collecting a 17-4-2 record with 10 shutouts (one shy of tying a school record) and 91 saves with a 0.86 goals against average.

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