Axt, Vincenti lead women's soccer All-NAC awards
MSOE's Jessica Axt was named the Northern Athletics Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and Aurora's Anya Vincenti was named Defensive Player of the Year to lead the 2011 All-Northern Athletics Conference Women's Soccer Awards.
The awards, voted on by the league's head coaches, include first and second All-NAC Teams, honorable mention selections, All-Freshman Team, All-Sportsmanship Team, and the major awards of Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year.
The All-Sportsmanship Team included one member from each school and was chosen based on the principles of sportsmanship as promoted by the NAC and NCAA.
Axt (Germantown, Wis.) led the conference with 28 goals--six of which were game winners--and 62 points this season, and is among the nation's leaders in goals per game (2.95), points per game (2.95) and game-winning goals. The senior forward, named to the All-NAC first team, also chipped in six assists for the Raiders (13-8, 9-3 NAC).
Vincenti (Arvada, Colo.) was a top defender on NAC champion Aurora's league-best defense that held opponents to less than a goal per game (0.67 GAA). The sophomore defender, a first team selection, led the Spartans (18-4, 11-1) to 11 shutouts this season on their way to both the NAC regular season and tournament titles. She also added three goals, including one game winner, this season.
Spartan teammate Nicole Wolfe (Chula Vista, Calif.) was named Freshman of the Year. The rookie midfielder recorded 10 goals and an assist in her first season, and was also a first team and All-Freshman team selection.
Marian's Jason Murphy was named Coach of the Year, as voted on by his peers. Murphy, in just his second season at Marian, led the Sabres (13-7, 10-2) to a second place finish in the NAC standings, after a 9-8-1 overall record and fifth-place (7-4-1) conference finish in 2010.