April 5, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) -
Senior Brianne Eisenhard, junior Samantha Bland and freshman Alyssa Zuccaro each earned most valuable player awards as the Bowling Green State University women's soccer team held its annual banquet on Saturday evening (April 4) at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union. Head coach Andy Richards and assistants Scott Gloden and Tiffany Hansen guided the 2008 version of the Falcons to an overall record of 12-6-4.
Senior Susan Hunter was the recipient of the "Fighting Falcon" award, while sophomore Katie Stephenson earned the Leah Eggleton "Hustle" award for the second consecutive season. Freshman Megan Amann was named the team's most improved player.
The "Fighting Falcon" award winner is selected by the BGSU coaching staff, while the other awards are the result of voting by the team members.
Bland (Hilliard, Ohio/Darby H.S.) earned the Falcons' MVP award on defense for the third time in as many seasons. She helped anchor a Falcon defensive unit that recorded a school-record 14 shutouts in 22 games in 2008, including seven in the 11 Mid-American Conference matches and one more in the MAC Tournament. Bland, one of four players to start all 22 matches for the Falcons in '08, had an assist on the game-winning goal in BG's double-overtime victory vs. Ball State. In her career, Bland has played in 60 games, starting 57, and has helped BG post a total of 31 shutouts during that time. She has started each of the Falcons' last 55 games, dating to the middle of her freshman season.
Eisenhard (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota H.S.) was named the team's MVP in the midfield for the third-straight season. Eisenhard, a team co-captain in 2008, played in 19 matches on the year, starting all of them. She missed three games midway through the year due to injury. Eisenhard had four points on the year, on a goal and a pair of assists. The goal came on the road against Ohio State, giving the Falcons a 1-1 tie vs. the Buckeyes. Eisenhard played in a career total of 80 games, starting 59, and totaled 14 points. She was part of a senior class that helped BGSU win 46 games, a school record for a four-year span.
Zuccaro (Mentor, Ohio/Mentor H.S.) was named the Falcons' MVP on offense after a stellar debut in the Brown and Orange. She finished fourth on the team in scoring, with a total of 11 points, and tied for second with five goals en route to a spot on the MAC's All-Freshman Team. Zuccaro led the Falcons with a total of three game-winning goals on the year. She had seven points in MAC play, with her three goals in conference action tying her for the team lead. Zuccaro's first collegiate goal proved to be a game winner, at IPFW, and she also had the GWG vs. both Miami and Kent State. She also scored goals vs. Northern Illinois and against Western Michigan in the MAC Tournament.
Hunter (Sidney, Ohio/Sidney H.S.) earned the
Leslie Dawley "Fighting Falcon" award. The award is given to a team member who, through words and actions, most accurately reflects the program's philosophy of 'Today I gave all that I have, for everything I left behind is gone forever.' It was renamed to honor former Falcon Dawley, who entered BGSU in the fall of 2002 and played with the team during that '02 season before passing away in November of that year. Hunter saw action in 18 games for the Falcons in 2008, making 10 starts. A co-captain along with Eisenhard, Hunter played in a total of 78 matches during her four-year career, starting 57. Primarily a defender for most of her career, Hunter had a total of two assists during her BG tenure. She was part of the senior class that helped BG win the MAC's regular-season and tourney titles as freshmen in 2005.
Amann (Troy, Mich./Troy Athens H.S.) picked up the team's most-improved-player award. She had 12 points in her first year on campus, tying her for second on the team. That point total included a team-leading eight assists, two shy of the school's single-season record. Amann had eight points in MAC games to tie for the BG lead. She had a pair of two-assist games, vs. Tennessee Tech and Buffalo, and had a three-game scoring streak to close the regular season. Amann earned a MAC Player-of-the-Week award on Oct. 27 after being involved in the scoring of three of the Falcons' four goals the previous weekend. She joined Zuccaro on the MAC's All-Freshman Team.
Stephenson (Lexington, Ohio/Lexington H.S.) earned the team's
Leah Eggleton "Hustle" award for the second time in as many seasons. The award is named after former Falcon Eggleton, a three-time winner of the honor. Stephenson played in all 22 matches during her sophomore campaign, making 19 starts. She scored eight points to tie for fifth on the team. Her point total included three goals; the game winner at Western Michigan and goals in wins over Marshall and Xavier on back-to-back Sundays. Stephenson assisted on the winning goals vs. Detroit and Ball State, with the latter goal coming in overtime. She was named to both the Academic All-MAC Team and the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District Second Team.
In addition to handing out the individual awards, Richards and the Falcons reflected upon the 2008 season, honoring the team's four seniors, and looked ahead to the '09 campaign.
The six seniors -- Eisenhard, Hunter, Kristin McDonald, Gina Rossi, Corbie Yee and Christy Zabek -- each had a chance to speak, and the team's 2009 captains, rising seniors Bland and Colleen Kordan, briefly spoke about the team's vision and plans for the upcoming fall season.
The senior class helped the Falcons to MAC Tournament appearances in each of their four seasons, including two trips to the championship match and conference regular-season and tourney titles in their freshman year of 2005. Rossi, a fifth-year senior, helped BGSU to the first MAC Tournament title in school history as a freshman in '04.
BGSU, as mentioned, finished 12-6-4 in 2008, setting a school record for fewest losses in a season. The team's total of 12 wins tied for second on the BGSU list, and the Falcons' .636 winning percentage is the second highest in the 12-year history of the program. A total of 22 players on last season's 28-woman roster are slated to return in 2009.
BGSU WOMEN'S SOCCER - 2008 AWARDS
* MVP - DEFENSE: Samantha Bland
* MVP - MIDFIELD: Brianne Eisenhard
* MVP - OFFENSE: Alyssa Zuccaro
* MOST IMPROVED PLAYER: Megan Amann
* Leah Eggleton "HUSTLE" AWARD: Katie Stephenson
* Leslie Dawley "FIGHTING FALCON" AWARD: Susan Hunter
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