Bowling Green, KY – A day ahead of the Mid-South Conference semifinals, the third-ranked UC women's soccer team had seven players earn MSC All-Conference honors, the conference office announced Wednesday.  In addition to those honors Patriots Head Coach Steve Hamilton was voted the Coach of the Year, while Carola Fontan garnered MSC Freshman of the Year accolades.

Rita Aguye, Selena Barnett, Jayden Boelter, and Laura Navajas earned MSC First Team honors, while Carola Fontan was a MSC Second Team selection in addition to the Freshman of the Year.  Abby Baker and Amalia Wichmann were both named MSC All-Conference Honorable Mention. 

Coach Hamilton guided the Patriots to their first undefeated regular season in program history with a 15-0-3 mark.  UC went 9-0-1 in Mid-South Conference play to capture their first MSC regular season championship since 1999 and earn the top-seed in the conference tournament.  Cumberlands has posted an 8-0-3 record against teams that are ranked or receiving votes in the NAIA Top 25 and has the #1 RPI in the country.  This is the second time that Coach Hamilton has earned this distinction making him the first Patriot coach to win this honor multiple times.

Fontan becomes just the third Patriot to garner MSC Freshman of the Year honors and all of which have come in the past six seasons.  The Les Franqueses del Valles, Spain native is second on the team with seven goals, while her 16 points are third most amongst Patriots.  Fontan has three game-winning goals, including in the 2-1 win over (RV) Campbellsville where she recorded her first brace.   Six of the freshman's seven goals came in conference play.

For the third straight year, Jayden Boelter lands on the first-team all-conference list.  The Hebron, KY native led the Patriots with 18 goals, four assists, and 40 points on the season with seven multi-goal games and five game-winning goals.  Boelter becomes just the third player in program history to earn First Team All-Conference accolades in each of her first three seasons.  The sophomore is tied for third in the conference with goals and is ranked fourth in points, while she is currently third and fifth, respectively, in for UC's single season lead.  Boelter has notched 11 goals and two assists against ranked opponents this season, including five points in the 3-2 win over #6 UT Southern and a goal and an assist in the 2-1 over #3 Central Methodist.  Boelter has accumulated 49 career goals and 114 points, both of which ranked third in program history.

Navajas and Barnett have now earned All-Conference accolades four times over their historic Patriot careers.  Navajas, the senior captain, has recorded a team-high nine assists to go along with four goals and 17 points on the season.  The Miranda de Ebro, Spain natives has impacted the game on both sides of the ball helping led UC to its highest ranking in program history.  Navajas netted her first brace of the season and finished with five points in UC's 4-0 quarterfinals win over Shawnee State.  She has also recorded a goal against Cumberland and had a pair of multi-assist games.  Navajas is currently ranked fifth in the conference in assists this season, while her 41 career assists is a program record. 

Barnett earned First Team honors for the second time in her career after being a key part of the Cumberlands backline.  The Carmel, IN native has helped the Patriots to a 0.61 goals against average and 10 shutouts both of which leads the MSC. The Patriots also ranked 13^th in the NAIA in goals against average against the toughest schedule in program history, while the 10 shutouts rank 18^th in the NAIA.  Barnett netted her first goal of the season in UC's MSC quarterfinals win over Shawnee State.  She becomes just the 11^th player in program history to earn all-conference honors in four years.

Serving as the centerback for the Patriots, Aguye Cots earns First Team All-Conference honors.  The Ametlla del Valles, Spain native is second on the team with six assists, while anchoring UC's backline.  Aguye Cots notched her first career multi-assist game in the Patriots quarterfinals win over Shawnee State.  The sophomore has anchored the Patriots to a 0.61 goals against average and 10 shutouts both of which leads the MSC. The Patriots also ranked 13^th in the NAIA in goals against average against the toughest schedule in program history, while the 10 shutouts rank 18^th in the NAIA.

Baker has come on strong for the Patriots adding another dimension for the UC offense to earn honorable mention accolades.  She has tallied six goals and an assist over the five games of the season.  The grad transfer recorded a brace in the 2-0 win over #19 Lindsey Wilson, before closing out the regular season with a hat trick against Pikeville. Baker has also added an assist against Thomas More and a goal in the quarterfinal win over Shawnee State.

Another cornerstone of the Patriots defense has been Wichmann, who earned honorable mention honors.  The freshman has tallied two goals and three assists on the season.  She tallied an assist in the win over #3 Central Methodist while netting a free kick goal from 55-yards out in the win over Thomas More.  Whichman has been part of the Patriot backline that has limited opponents to 7.11 shots per game. 

Cumberlands will host the fifth-seed and (RV) Campbellsville in the semifinals of the Mid-South Conference Tournament Wednesday, November 9.  Kick-off is set for 4 p.m. with live video available here.

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