Bowling Green State University Athletics
Samantha Meister Named MAC Freshman Of Year
November 07, 2002 | Women's Soccer
Nov. 7, 2002
OXFORD, Ohio - Bowling Green State University women's soccer freshman Samantha Meister has been named the 2002 Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year. The award was announced at the MAC Tournament banquet Thursday night (Nov. 7) in Oxford, Ohio.
Meister, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio (Northwest HS), becomes the second Falcon women's soccer player in the six-year history of the program to win a league specialty award. Additionally, she is the second consecutive BGSU player to win the MAC Freshman-of-the-Year award, as teammate Kristy Coppes captured the honor in 2001.
Meister has a total of 17 points in only 14 matches this year, with six goals and five assists. She had a total of 10 points in just eight MAC matches.
Meister suffered a broken nose in just the third match of the season (Sept. 6 at Toledo), and missed the next seven contests. She returned to action on Oct. 4, and picked up an assist in the Falcons' win over Marshall. Then, after a pair of scoreless contests, she proceeded to set a school record by scoring a goal in five consecutive matches.
Meister's streak began at Central Michigan (Oct. 11), when she assisted on the first goal and scored the clincher in a 2-0 victory. She also found the back of the net against Eastern Michigan (Oct. 13), Valparaiso (Oct. 18), Buffalo (Oct. 20) and Western Michigan (Oct. 25), with her goal vs. UB coming in overtime.
Meister had a goal and an assist in the final match of the regular season, a 3-1 win at Wright State (Nov. 1). The goal gave her six in a seven-match span.
She had an assist on the Falcons' first goal in Wednesday's (Nov. 6) 2-1, double-OT win over UB in the quarterfinal round of the MAC Tournament.
The Falcons, picked to finish ninth in the MAC's preseason coaches poll, placed fourth in the conference with a 7-4-1 league ledger. BGSU has an overall mark of 12-7-2 heading into Friday's (Nov. 8) MAC Tournament semifinal match at Miami.
The MAC also announced the 2002 MAC Player-of-the-Year and Coach-of-the-Year awards, as well as the All-MAC teams, at Thursday's banquet. Miami senior Danielle Berkemeier was the league's player of the year, while Ball State's Ron Rainey was named the coach of the year.
2002 MAC WOMEN'S SOCCER AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Danielle Berkemeier, Miami
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR:
Samantha Meister, Bowling Green
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Ron Rainey, Ball State
ALL-MAC FIRST TEAM
MF-Ashley Swinehart, Miami MF-Danielle Altiero, Miami MF-Abby Leopold, Ohio F-Dee Nocero, Ball State F-Jessica Hupe, Eastern Michigan F-Danielle Berkemeier, Miami F-Andrea Cunningham, Miami D-Ehren Reagor, Ball State D-Heather Pederson, Eastern Michigan D-Audry Wieman, Miami GK-Erika Flanders, Bowling Green
ALL-MAC SECOND TEAM
MF-Eileen Weinheimer, Ball State MF-Courtney Sindelar, Eastern Michigan MF-Shaedyn Cousino, Miami MF-Katie Klaas, Northern Illinois F-Kate Nadalin, Ball State F-Christel Schiering, Ohio F-Rachael Najjar, Ohio D-Devon Russell, Buffalo D-Crystal Reed, Ohio D-Michelle Palazzolo, Western Michigan GK-Megan Swafford, Ball State
