Official Site of the Southeastern Conference

2009 SEC Women's Soccer Awards Announced

 ORANGE BEACH, Ala. -- South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith, South Carolina defender Blakely Mattern, LSU midfielder Malorie Rutledge, Florida defender Lauren Hyde and Georgia defender Laura Eddy headline the 2009 Southeastern Conference Women's Soccer Awards announced Tuesday.

 Smith was named SEC Coach of the Year while Mattern earned SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors. Rutledge and Hyde were named SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year, respectively with both earning First Team All-SEC honors. Eddy garnered SEC Freshman of the Year and Second Team All-SEC honors.

 It is the first SEC Coach of the Year honor for Smith, who guided South Carolina to school records for conference (seven) and overall (15) victories this season. The Gamecocks recorded a program-best second place finish in the SEC East and came within one game of winning the overall title.

 Mattern was tabbed SEC Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The Simpsonville, S.C., native owns a 3.985 grade point average in International Business and is a three-time first team CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District selection. A finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, she earned first team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in 2008.

Rutledge becomes the fourth player in league history to win SEC Player of the Year honors twice after also winning the award last season. The Sharpsburg, Ga., native led the conference with 19 points in league matches. She posted an SEC-best nine assists to go with five goals in conference play.

Hyde was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year after leading a Gator defense that rated as one of the stingiest in the league. Florida shutout more than half (six of 11 games) of its league opponents and tied for the SEC lead by allowing just eight goals (0.73 goals per game) in conference play.

Eddy becomes the third Georgia player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors in the last four years, joining teammates Carrie Patterson (2006) and Kelli Corless (2007). Eddy was the only freshman to receive All-SEC honors, earning a spot on the second team as a defender.

 

2009 SEC Women's Soccer Awards
First Team All-SEC

Katy Frierson     M            So.          Auburn

Katie Fraine       GK          Jr.           Florida

Lauren Hyde*    D             Sr.           Florida

Carrie Patterson               F              Sr.           Georgia

Chelsea Potts    D             Sr.           LSU

Malorie Rutledge*          M            Sr.           LSU

Danielle Johnson             M            Sr.           Ole Miss

Kayla Grimsley*               F              So.          South Carolina

Blakely Mattern*             D             Sr.           South Carolina

Mick Imgram      M            Sr.           Tennessee

Megan Forester                D             Sr.           Vanderbilt


Second Team All-SEC

Justine Bernier GK          So.          Alabama

Kim Schleif         D             Sr.           Arkansas

Becca Howell     F              Sr.           Auburn

Sammy Towne  D             Jr.           Auburn

Lindsay Thompson          F              So.          Florida

Laura Eddy          D             Fr.           Georgia

Allysha Chapman             D             So.          LSU

Melissa Clarke  M            Sr.           LSU

Hannah Weatherly          F              Sr.           Ole Miss

Samantha Diaz-Matosas               D             Sr.           South Carolina

Kim Miller           M            Sr.           South Carolina

Molly Kinsella   M            Jr.           Vanderbilt

 

All-Freshman Team

Allie Chandler   F              Arkansas

Amy Howard      GK          Auburn

Brooke Thigpen                M            Florida

Erika Tymrak*    M            Florida

Kat Williamson D             Florida

Susannah Dennis             M            Georgia

Laura Eddy*        D             Georgia

Carlie Banks       F              LSU

Arielle Cohen    M            Ole Miss

Amy Harrison    M            Tennessee

Chelsea Stewart               M            Vanderbilt

 
Coach of the Year - Shelley Smith, South Carolina
Offensive Player of the Year - Malorie Rutledge, LSU
Defensive Player of the Year - Lauren Hyde, Florida
Freshman of the Year - Laura Eddy, Georgia
Scholar-Athlete of the Year - Blakely Mattern, South Carolina

*unanimous selection