CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa --- The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) has announced its major awards and all-conference team for the 2014 women’s soccer season. Loras College junior forward Katie Truesdale (Tinley Park, Ill. Victor J. Andrew) has been named Iowa Conference Offensive MVP and Luther College senior defender Erin Wilson (North Liberty, Iowa / Iowa City West) has been named the Iowa Conference Defensive MVP, while Central College head coach Mike Kobylinski was named Iowa Conference Coach of the Year.
 
Truesdale led the Iowa Conference in scoring this season with 19 points on eight goals and three assists. Her eight goals were twice as many as any other Iowa Conference player in league play. Truesdale finished with 34 points overall on 15 goals and four assists to rank seventh on Loras’ single-season lists for points (tie) and goals. Though just a junior, Truesdale is tied for third in Loras history in career goals with 42 and fourth in career points with 98. She netted multiple goals in a game three times this season, including a league season-best-tying three goals against Coe on October 28 and two in Loras’ 4-3 overtime loss to Luther in the first round of the IIAC Tournament. Truesdale also collected game-winning goals in Duhawk victories over Wisconsin-Whitewater and Simpson and in the regular-season matchup with the Norse. Truesdale is the fourth Duhawk to receive an Iowa Conference MVP award, joining Michelle Wieser (2004), Kate Young (2010) and Kinsey Campbell (2012-13).
 
Wilson played in 74 games with 66 starts during her career, tallying 11 goals and four assists. In 2014, she led a Norse defense that registered a 1.25 goals-against average in league play and kept the squad in every game – all four of Luther’s IIAC losses were by one goal. Seeded sixth, The Norse defeated Loras, 4-3, in overtime in the first round, then fell to Central, 1-0, also in overtime. Offensively, Wilson had her best season in a Luther kit, registering 13 points on five goals and three assists. She registered game-winners against Lawrence on August 29 and against St. Olaf on September 24 as the Norse raced out to a 9-0 start and finished the year unbeaten against non-IIAC opponents (10-0-0). Wilson is the fourth Norse player to receive and Iowa Conference Women’s Soccer MVP award, joining Nora Farrell (1996), Jen Shinbori (1998-99) and Katie Pettigrew (2003-04).
 
Kobylinski, in his fourth season at Central, guided the Dutch to a 11-4-4 mark overall and a program-best runner-up finish in the Iowa Conference with a 5-1-1 league mark. Central advanced to the championship game of the Iowa Conference tournament, falling to Dubuque, 6-5, in a penalty-kick shootout. Led by the play of first-team all-IIAC goalkeeper Sydney Lunardi and all-IIAC defender Liz Daniels, the Dutch had as many shutouts in 2014 (12) as goals allowed and finished the year on a nine-match unbeaten streak (7-0-2). Kobylinski has compiled a 45-23-9 mark in his four years. This is Kobylinski’s second IIAC Women’s Soccer Coach of the Year honor. He shared the 2012 award with Dubuque's Jason Berna and Loras' Dan Rothert.
 
The IIAC also announced the 2014 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Team. The 27-member Team (there was a tie on the second team) includes 18 repeat All-Conference performers. All eight institutions garnered at least one All-IIAC honor in 2014. Iowa Conference champion Dubuque led all schools with six all-conference seletions with two on the first team and four on the second team. Wartburg followed with five receptions, including two first-teamers, while Central and Luther had four all-league selections apiece with the Dutch landing an IIAC-high three on the first team. Coe and Loras both had three players selected, while Buena Vista and Simpson had one all-conference player apiece. Luther senior midfielder Elly Arend receive all-league honors for the fourth time, increasing the number of four-time all-IIAC honorees to 27. Truesdale, Wilson, Dubuque senior defender Lauren Waddell and Wartburg defender Lisa Trizzino each earned their third honor.