CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The 2021 All-American Rivers Conference Women's Soccer Team as voted by the league's head coaches:
| 2021 All-American Rivers Conference Women's Soccer Team |
Offensive MVP - Kate Luers, Wartburg |
Defensive MVP - Payton McDonnell, Loras |
  
Coaching Staff of the Year - Loras College |
| All-Conference |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Abby Eriksen @ ! |
Loras College |
Jr. |
F |
Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge |
| Brynn Jacobi -h3 $ # @ ! |
Loras College |
Sr. |
F |
Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah |
| Olivia Lansing ! |
Loras College |
Jr. |
MF |
Davenport, Iowa/Assumption Catholic |
| Josie McDermott ! |
Loras College |
Sr. |
D |
Freeport, Ill./Freeport |
| Payton McDonnell @ ! |
Loras College |
Jr. |
MF |
Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator |
| Emily Perhats ! |
Loras College |
Sr. |
F |
Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge |
| Megan Wick |
Loras College |
Sr. |
GK |
Iowa City, Iowa/Regina |
| Maggie Haller ! |
Luther College |
So. |
F |
Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle |
| Ella Smith -h4 |
Luther College |
Jr. |
D |
Larkspur, Colo./Palmer Ridge |
| Lizzie Arnburg -h4 |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
MF/GK |
Earlham, Iowa/Earlham |
| Abby Cozzoni -h4 |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
D |
Wentzville, Mo./Timberland |
| Cassie Nash ! |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
F |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast |
| Megan Roberts -h1 -h4 |
Simpson College |
Sr. |
MF/F |
Norwalk, Iowa/Norwalk |
| Brooke Brodzinski -h1 % ! |
University of Dubuque |
Jr. |
F |
Minooka, Ill./Minooka |
| Carissa Brown * & $ @ ! |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
D |
Oswego, Ill./Oswego |
| Katie Berglund ! |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
F/MF |
Polk City, Iowa/North Polk |
| Sarah Campbell @ ^ ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
D |
Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock |
| Gabby Corday @ ! |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
MF |
Denver, Iowa/Denver |
| Kate Luers @ ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
F |
Middletown, Iowa/Danville |
| Marissa Lopez -h2 ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
GK |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial |
| Hailey Osburn -h2 @ ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
D |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny |
| Joy Smith @ ! |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
F |
Polk City, Iowa/Homeschooled |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Year |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Jasmyn Bush |
Central College |
So. |
GK |
La Porte City, Iowa/Union |
| Abby Frey ! |
Central College |
So. |
MF/F |
Mesa, Ariz./Desert Ridge |
| Kaitlyn Isom |
Central College |
So. |
MF |
Phoenix, Ariz./Horizon Honors |
| Alex Montalbano |
Coe College |
Sr. |
GK |
Aurora, Ill./Aurora Central Catholic |
| Emma Lin |
Luther College |
So. |
MF |
Des Moines, Iowa/Roosevelt |
| Brenny Frederick |
Simpson College |
So. |
GK |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny |
| Emma Kober |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
D |
Waukesha, Wis./Waukesha Catholic Memorial |
| Baylee Vincent ! |
University of Dubuque |
Jr. |
MF |
Algonquin, Ill./Harry D Jacobs |
| Previous Honors |
| ! - 2020 All-Conference |
| -h4 - 2020 Honorable Mention |
| % - 2020 Offensive MVP |
| ^ - 2020 Defensive MVP |
| # 2019 Offensive MVP |
| @ - 2019 All-Conference |
| -h1 - 2019 Honorable Mention |
| $ - 2018 All-Conference |
| -h2 - 2018 Honorable Mention |
| & - 2017 All-Conference |
| * - 2017 Defensive MVP |
| -h3 - 2017 Honorable Mention |
| Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the NCAA blanket eligibilty waiver, some athletes may receive more than four all-conference honors. |
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The American Rivers Conference announced today that Wartburg College senior forward
Kate Luers (Middletown, Iowa/Danville) has been selected as the league’s Offensive MVP and Loras College junior midfielder
Payton McDonnell (Arlington Heights, Ill./St. Viator) was named Defensive MVP. Loras head coach
Matt Pucci, assistants
Jill Leibforth and
Chris Higgins were voted American Rivers Coaching Staff of the Year. In addition to the major awards, the conference announced the 22-member All-Conference Team.
Luers is earning her third all-conference honor. The senior forward becomes the second Knight to receive Offensive MVP accolades, joining
Morgan Neuendorf (2017). Prior to the MVP award being split to recognize an offensive and defensive standout in 2013, Wartburg had four players named conference MVP. In 2021, Luers finished conference play with 14 points, coming by way of seven goals, which put her fourth in conference standings. Her seven goals were tied with two others as a conference best.
McDonnell joins former Duhawks,
Taylor Trovato (2019) and
Kinsey Campbell (2013) to have received Defensive MVP honors for Loras. The junior midfielder was part of a defensive unit that finished conference play ranked number one in the league with a .421 goals-against average. The Loras back line allowed a conference best three goals in eight games. She also finished league play with ten points.
To go along with the title of American Rivers Conference champions, Loras College coaching staff with add Coaching Staff of the Year. The regular-season title was Loras’ fifth in the last six years and 14
th overall while the tournament title was their 16
th in program history. Pucci and staff led the Duhawks to an 18-0-1 overall mark and an 8-0 conference record. Through eighth conference contests Loras averaged 3.750 goals/game to lead the league. With 91 total points on 30 goals and 31 assists, Loras also owned the number-one spot in the conference. This is the 12
th Coaching Staff of the Year award for the Loras program and Coach Pucci’s third as the head coach.
The Duhawks, winners of the 2021 American Rivers Conference regular-season title, saw six players named All-Conference in addition to McDonnell. 2019 A-R-C Offensive MVP, senior forward,
Brynn Jacobi (Roscoe, Ill./Hononegah), picked up her fourth All-Conference accolade. She finished conference play with 2.25 shots on goal percentage. Jacobi finished conference play with 15 points coming from five goals and five assists to put her third in conference.
Abby Eriksen (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge), a third year forward for Loras was voted to the All-Conference team for the third time. The Crystal Lake, Ill. native finished eight conference games averaging 1.38 shots on goal. In her third year with the Duhawks, defensive midfielder
Olivia Lansing (Davenport, Iowa/Assumption Catholic), was a key contributor for the conference-leading Loras defense holding opponents to 0.375 goals-against average.
Duhawk seniors,
Josie McDermott (Freeport, Ill./Freeport),
Emily Perhats (Cary, Ill./Prairie Ridge), and
Megan Wick (Iowa City, Iowa/Regina) were also selected to this year’s All-Conference team. From the defense position, McDermott is earning her second All-Conference honor while leading the Duhawks defense to 0.421 goals against average. From the forward position, Perhats is earning her second All-Conference honor while tied for fifth in the league with 13 points during conference play. Her five goals were sixth best in the league and her three assists tied for sixth. Senior goalkeeper, Wick, is earning her first All-Conference honor while making 15 saves and averaging 0.514 goals against.
American Rivers Conference regular-season and tournament runner-up, Wartburg also placed six players on this year’s All-Conference squad in addition to Luers. Senior defender,
Sarah Campbell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) led the way for the Knights, making her second All-Conference team in addition to earning 2020 Defensive MVP a season ago. In 2021 she was part of a Knights defense that held the league’s second-best goals-against average at 0.643.
Juniors
Katie Berglund (Polk City, Iowa/North Polk) and
Gabby Corday (Denver, Iowa/Denver) are earning their second and third All-Conference honor, respectively. From the forward/midfielder position, Berglund finished the eight-game conference season with 12 shots on goal, putting her eighth in the conference. Midfielder, Corday, helped lead the Knights defensively, to the second-best goals-against average at 0.643.
The remaining three All-Conference performers from the Knights,
Marissa Lopez (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial),
Hailey Osburn (Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny), and
Joy Smith (Polk City, Iowa/Homeschooled) are all making their second and third All-Conference teams. Senior goalkeeper, Lopez, is earning her second All-Conference honors after picking up Honorable Mention honors in 2018. The Ankeny, Iowa native was the key for the Knights defense in averaging 0.578 goals-against and leading the conference with 24 saves in eight games. Osburn, a senior defender, is earning her third All-Conference honor along with earning Honorable Mention accolades in 2018. She has helped the Knights defense to an overall goals-against average at 0.643. Smith, a senior forward for the Knights, is earning her third All-Conference honor. She finished conference play tied for 14
th with eight points on three goals and two assists in 587 minutes of conference play.
Simpson had four players receive All-Conference honors in 2021, with only one picking up honors for the second time in her careers. Now a two-time All-Conference honoree,
Cassie Nash (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southeast) leads the way for the Storm. The third year forward led the conference in shots on goal with 18 in eight games. She was the overall points leader in the conference with 19 points on seven goals and five assists.
Megan Roberts (Norwalk, Iowa/Nowalk) is collecting her first All-Conference honor, in addition to receiving honorable mention the last two seasons. As a senior forward, Roberts tallied three game-winning goals in conference play to put her atop the conference. She also finished tied for fifth in conference with 13 points coming off six goals and one assist. After earning honorable mention in 2020, junior
Lizzie Arnburg (Earlham, Iowa/Earlham) was voted an All-Conference honoree in 2021. From the defensive midfielder position, Arnburg helped lead the Storm to an 0.875 goals-against average. Earning honorable mention honors in 2020, junior defender,
Abby Cozzoni (Wentzville, Mo./Timberland) was also a key contributor for the Storm defense holding their opponents to an 0.875 goals-against average.
Earning All-Conference for Luther are
Maggie Haller (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) and
Ella Smith (Larkspur, Colo./Palmer Ridge). Haller, a sophomore forward for the Norse, led the team with 17 points on seven goals and three assists in eight conference matches. The 17 points put her second in conference standings behind Nash of Simpson. Haller’s seven goals in conference play put her tied for first in conference standings. The sophomore for the Norse is earning her second All-Conference Honor. Junior defender, Smith, aided a defensive unit that allowed 11 goals against. Smith is earning her first All-Conference honor this season after earning honorable mention a year ago.
Dubuque had two players receive All-Conference honors in 2021, with one picking up her fifth All-Conference honor and the other picking up her third honor. Now a five-time All-Conference honoree, senior defender
Carissa Brown (Oswego, Ill./Oswego), leads the way for the Spartans defense. The 2017 Defensive MVP helped the Spartans to a 1.625 goals-against average.
Brooke Brodzinski (Minooka, Ill./Minooka), a junior forward, led the way for the Spartans on offense. Brodzinski tallied five points coming off one goal and three assists.
