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Dixie State chosen to repeat as PacWest Champions in 2010
PHOENIX, AZ – Defending Pacific West Conference
Champion Dixie State has been selected by the coaches of the league
to retain its title in 2010 after collecting six of a possible nine
first-place votes and totaling 77 points in the polling
process.
But while the PacWest Championship may go to a team from the Mainland, BYU-Hawaii senior forward Emily Mearns (San Ramon, CA/California) has been named the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year and Hawai‘i Pacific junior netminder Carianne Makino (Honolulu, HI/Kaiser) has been chosen as the PacWest Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
The PacWest predicted order of finish and preseason all-conference team were revealed on Monday, Aug. 30, during the conference’s media day for women’s soccer. The head coaches of the conference voted upon the awards.
Dixie State, which gained the automatic berth to the NCAA II National Championship Tournament last year, posted a stellar 13-1-0 conference record in 2009 to finish with 39 points. This season the Red Storm has amassed 77 points in the preseason poll by collecting six first-place votes.
Last year’s runner-up – BYU-Hawaii – posted 67 points with one first-place vote to earn a second-place prediction, while Grand Canyon and Hawai‘i Pacific each had one first-place vote and tied for third place with 61 points.
Notre Dame de Namur totaled 39 to take fifth, while Dominican is predicted to finish sixth after garnering 36 points. Hawai‘i Hilo (35), Academy of Art (19) and Chaminade (10) round out seventh through ninth, respectively.
Mearns had a superior campaign in 2009, picking up her third All-PacWest First Team honor of her career. The 2006 Freshman of the Year previously was named to the First Team in 2006 and 2008.
In 18 games last season, Mearns amassed a league-leading 31 points on 13 goals and five assists. She topped the PacWest in putting the ball in the net, tied for fifth in helping others score, and shared the conference lead in game-winners with five. She also led the PacWest in points per game (1.72) and goals per game (0.72), and tied for ninth in assists per contest (0.28).
In addition to being named the Goalkeeper of the Year in 2009, Makino was named All-PacWest First Team in net for her outstanding season.
In 19 games last year she produced a 10-8-1 overall record with a 1.47 goals against average covering 1715:51 of action. She ranked fourth in the league in goals against average, seventh in save percentage (.708), sixth in total saves (68), and seventh in saves per game (3.58). She finished the season ranked third in total shutouts with five.
Both Makino and Mearns were named to this year’s Preseason
All-Conference Team.
Joining Mearns from BYU-Hawaii is senior middie Natasha Aiono (South Jordan, UT/Bingham) who made her third straight All-PacWest squad last season. The 2008 Player of the Year now has two First Team selections (2008 and 2009) and an Honorble Mention (2007).
In 2009 Aiono saw action in 18 games, tying for fifth in the conference in goals scored (8), sharing eighth place in assists (5), and ranking fourth in total points (21). She also tied for fourth in game-winners (3), ranked fifth in points per game (1.17), tied for fifth in goals per game (0.44), and tied for ninth in assists per contest (0.28).
Hawai‘i Pacific sophomore sisters Meghan Fuller (Pearl City, HI/Pearl City) and Amber Fuller (Pearl City, HI/Kamehameha Schools) both were selected for the Preseason All-PacWest squad. Meghan Fuller landed on the forwards list, while Amber Fuller was named as a midfielder.
Last season Meghan Fuller claimed both the
Newcomer and Freshman of the Year
honors in the PacWest after racking up 20 points on nine goals and
two assists. She ranked fifth in the conference in total points,
and fourth in goals scored, points per game (1.25) and goals per
game (0.56). She tied for fourth in the league with a trio of
game-winning scores.
Amber Fuller joined her older sister on the preseason team thanks to a stellar 2009 campaign. In 18 games she scored eight goals and had one assist for 17 points, tying for fifth in the league in goals scored and seventh in total points. She also tied for seventh in points per game (0.94) and shared fifth place in goals per game (0.44). Two of her goals were game-winners while she drilled one penalty kick.
Dixie State earned a pair of All-PacWest Preseason selections in junior midfielder Camille Peterson (North Logan, UT/Sky View) and senior forward Wendy Stratford (Layton, UT/Layton).
An All-PacWest First Team choice in 2009, Peterson scored 17 points in 18 starts. She tallied her points on five goals and seven assists, ranking second in the PacWest in total assists, and tying for seventh in scoring. She also drilled two game-winners, tied for eighth in points per game (0.94), and ranked second in assists per contest (0.39).
Stratford – a First Team member in 2009 and an Honorable
Mention in 2008 - amassed 16 points in 16 games on seven goals and
two assists. She tied for eighth in the PacWest in total goals and
tied for ninth in total points. She also ranked third in
game-winning goals (4), shared sixth place in points per game
(1.00), and ranked eighth in goals per contest (0.44).
Dominican (CA) earned a trio of All-PacWest Preseason picks in 2010 in junior defender Kaitlyn Brown (San Diego, CA/Academy of Our Lady of Peace), senior forward Bridget Folan (Pacifica, CA/Sacred Heart) and junior midfielder Shayna Elkins (Santa Rosa, CA/Montgomery).
A First Team All-PacWest choice last fall, Brown produced 10 points on a goal and eight assists in 18 starts last season, leading the PacWest in total assists and in assists per game (0.44).
Folan was a Second Team choice in 2009 after she posted 16 points on five goals and a half-dozen assists. She tied for third in total assists, ninth in total points and seventh in assists per game (0.32) in the PacWest. She scored a pair of game-winning goals last year as well.
Elkins contributed two goals, four points and one game-winner in
20 games and 19 starts in 2009.
Hawai‘i Hilo claimed one preseason pick in senior defender Vanessa Butin (Waipahu, HI/Moanalua) – an All-PacWest Second Team choice last season. Butin started all 20 games for the Vulcans, contributing a point on one assist.
Butin has a strong PacWest history. She was a 2007 Second Team choice and was named the Co-Newcomer of the Year that same season.
NDNU sophomore defender Kimberly Wilhite (Castro Valley, CA/Castro Valley) rounds out the preseason team for the PacWest. Wilhite, who was named First Team Defender in the league last season, contributed seven points on two goals and three assists in 2009 for the Argos.
2010 PacWest Women's Soccer Schedule: http://www.thepacwest.com/sports/wsoc/2010/schedule
2009 Stats: http://www.thepacwest.com/sports/wsoc/2009/stats/CONFSTAT.HTM
