Culver Named Top Defender, Kats Top Freshman as Six Flashes Earn MAC Postseason Honors
11/2/2017 5:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer
CLEVELAND, Ohio — The 2017 Mid-American Conference regular season championship Kent State women's soccer team had six individuals recognized, as the MAC office announced its postseason awards Thursday (Nov. 2) afternoon.
Junior Paige Culver was named Defensive Player of the Year and Vital Kats earned Freshman of the Year recognition. Sophomore Sierra Henderson-Muschett joined Culver as an All-MAC First Team selection, while seniors Kristen Brots and Jaime Eiben joined Kats on All-MAC Second Team. Kats and Isabelle Mihail were named to the MAC All-Freshman Team.
Kent State's six all-conference selections lead all teams and two All-Freshman Team honorees tie Buffalo for the most.
This is the second time in the last five seasons that Golden Flashes have won been recognized as the conference's top defender and freshman. Morgan Mah was Kent State's first Defensive Player of the Year recipient in 2013 and All-American Jenna Hellstrom was named Freshman of the Year the same season.
Culver, Henderson-Muschett and Eiben lead a dominant defensive line that posted shutouts in seven of 11 conference matches. Overall, the Flashes have matched a program record with 11 shutouts this season. They lead the MAC and rank 34th nationally with a 0.68 goals against average. Kent State has allowed multiple goals in just four matches and has prevented the opponent from getting a shot on goal twice.
A three-year starter for the Flashes, Culver repeats as a first team selection. She has played in all 1,840 minutes this season and recorded three assists. Henderson-Muschett scored twice this year, including the game-winning goal in the conference opener against Central Michigan. Eiben is third on the team with 1,649 minutes played and has two assists.
Brots is the team leader with five assists and tallied a team-high seven points during the conference season. She has two goals on the season for nine points overall.
Kats leads all conference freshmen with six goals, four assists and 16 points. She is the first freshman to lead Kent State in scoring since 2005 and the first freshman to score in a MAC Tournament contest since 2006. Mihail is second on the team with four goals and 10 points to go with two assists. Both players have tallied three game-winners to lead the Flashes.
Kent State (13-5-2) aims to celebrate a conference tournament championship on its home turf for the second consecutive year as Dix Stadium hosts the MAC Women's Soccer Championships this weekend. The Golden Flashes will take on fourth-seeded Bowling Green (12-6-1) in a semifinal contest on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and the championship match is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 5.
Offensive Player of the Year: Skylar Fleak, Bowling Green
Defensive Player of the Year: Paige Culver, Kent State
Freshman of the Year: Vital Kats, Kent State
Coach of the Year: Matt Fannon, Bowling Green
All-MAC First Team
Forward: Skylar Fleak, Bowling Green
Forward: Erica Hubert, Bowling Green
Forward: Lexi Pelafas, Central Michigan
Midfielder: Julia Elvbo, Ball State
Midfielder: Madison Schupbach, Bowling Green
Midfielder: Julia Benati, Buffalo
Midfielder: Isabella Echeverri, Toledo
Defender: Gurjeena Jandu, Buffalo
Defender: Paige Culver, Kent State
Defender: Sierra Henderson-Muschett, Kent State
Goalkeeper: Stephanie Heber, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team
Forward: Peyton Davis, Eastern Michigan
Forward: Allie Curry, Ohio
Forward: Hannah Scafaria, Toledo
Midfielder: Madison Pogarch, Central Michigan
Midfielder: Kristen Brots, Kent State
Midfielder: Vital Kats, Kent State
Defender: Alexis Fricke, Bowling Green
Defender: Jaime Eiben, Kent State
Defender: Haley Hoppe, Northern Illinois
Defender: Chiara Paradiso, Toledo
Goalkeeper: Laura Dougall, Buffalo
Goalkeeper: Patricia Koutoulas, Miami
All-Freshman Team
Amani Jiu, Akron
Nicky Potts, Ball State
Nikhita Jacob, Bowling Green
Gianna Yurchak, Buffalo
Marcy Barberic, Buffalo
Madeline Olson, Eastern Michigan
Vital Kats, Kent State
Isabelle Mihail, Kent State
Haley Hoope, NIU
Paige Knorr, Ohio
Maddie Perrin, Toledo
