Lauren Allison Wins Two Top Awards as South Alabama Soccer Places Four on All-Sun Belt Teams
South Alabama freshman Lauren Allison became the first player in Sun Belt history to win Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season, as the Jaguars placed four players on the all-conference teams.
MOBILE, Ala. — Lauren Allison became the first player in Sun Belt Conference history to be named both Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season, headlining four South Alabama women’s soccer selections announced Tuesday at the league’s 2013 Women’s Soccer Awards Banquet.
Allison and senior midfielder Clarissa Hernandez were named to the All-Sun Belt first team. Senior defenders Jess Oram and Shelby Owen earned second-team honors.
The selections are the first postseason all-conference honors for a South Alabama player since 2008, and the four honorees are the most for the Jaguars since 2002.
Allison Leads League in Scoring
Allison, a native of Bicester, Oxfordshire, in the United Kingdom, finished the regular season with 14 goals and 11 assists for 39 points, the fourth-highest single-season total in South Alabama history. She led the Sun Belt in goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game and game-winning goals, and she was twice named Sun Belt Player of the Week.
Nationally, Allison ranks among the NCAA’s top 25 in six offensive categories: points per game (fifth), total points (eighth), total assists (12th), assists per game (12th), total goals (19th) and goals per game (19th).
Seniors Recognized
Hernandez, a preseason All-Sun Belt pick, finished the regular season with five goals. She has also been named to the CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-District team for the third consecutive year.
Oram and Owen anchored the South Alabama back line for a fourth straight season, and the Jaguars posted seven shutouts this year. Oram, Owen and Hernandez can set a school record for career games played if South Alabama advances to the championship match of the Sun Belt tournament, which begins Wednesday in San Marcos, Texas.
Winkworth Praises Honorees
“I am delighted that these girls have been recognized by the coaches in the league,” head coach Graham Winkworth said. “It is a huge honor to be an all-conference player in what is a league full of talent.”
“I am delighted for our three seniors: Riz, Jess and Shelby,” Winkworth said. “They have been wonderful leaders in this squad and their work ethic since my arrival has been truly unbelievable. I am also very excited for Lauren. I knew from when I was recruiting her she would provide us with an additional threat up top and I cannot speak highly enough of her work for this team.”
Winkworth noted the team’s rise in the standings and national ratings. “This team has worked magic over the last 10 months moving from number seven to number two in the league, and I am so proud of every one of them,” he said. “They have also improved over 80 places in the NCAA RPI ratings. This team can really hold their heads very high with all they have achieved.”
