FRISCO, Texas – Stephen F. Austin senior midfielder Kylie Louw was named the 2012 Southland Conference Soccer Player of the Year for the third consecutive year by a vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Tuesday in conjunction with the release of the all-conference soccer teams.

A native of Discovery, South Africa, Louw finished the regular season leading the league in assists (12), second in points (26), third in points per game (1.53) and seventh in goals (7). Louw is the first player in conference history to be named player of the year three times and she becomes only one of five players to earn first-team all-conference all four years of her career. Louw holds the Stephen F. Austin school record for career points (95) and career assists (41). Louw also ended the regular season first in the nation assists per game (0.75) and second in total assists.

Stephen F. Austin, which claimed its seventh regular-season championship to earn the No. 1 seed entering this week’s Southland Conference Soccer Tournament, holds a league-best seven first-team all-conference team members, which is the most for one team in conference history. The Ladyjacks also placed one student-athlete on the second team, giving SFA eight all-conference selections overall. Southeastern Louisiana and league-newcomer Oral Roberts each had three all-conference selections with two first-team selections and one second team. Central Arkansas had the final first-team member. Lamar and Sam Houston State both placed three on the second team and McNeese State received one second-team spot.

Joining Louw on the first team for Stephen F. Austin are two-time selections sophomore forward Chelsea Raymond, senior midfielder Laura Sadler and junior goalkeeper Lacey Lee. Earning first-team honors for the first time for the Ladyjacks are sophomore midfielder Zuri Prince, senior defender Breanne Vernon and sophomore defender Megan Dunnigan.

Raymond ranked second in the league in goals (11) and third in points (25) and shots (67). Sadler was sixth in the conference in goals (8) and shots (49) and seventh in points (17). Lee, a junior from Bedford, Texas, led the nation in goals-against average (0.293) and second in the nation in save percentage (.917). Prince earned first-team honors for the first time after scoring four game-winning goals on the year and six goals overall. SFA defenders Vernon and Dunnigan anchored a backline that was one of the toughest in the nation to score against. The Ladyjacks ranked second overall in the country in shutout percentage (.722) and seventh in goals-against average (0.560).

Earning second-team all-conference recognition for the Ladyjacks is senior defender Leslie Shurtleff. The Southlake, Texas, native helped contribute to the SFA defense that posted 13 shutouts on the season.

Stephen F. Austin head coach Tony Amato was voted the Southland Conference Coach of the Year for the second time in three seasons with the Ladyjacks. Amato led the Ladyjacks to its second consecutive undefeated regular-season title and a school record 15 wins.

Southeastern Louisiana’s first-team selections include senior forward Maiya Cooper and senior goalkeeper Lacey Bockhaus. Cooper, a four-time first-team all-conference selection, ranked second in the league in goals per game (0.71) and points per game (1.57), third in goals (10) and fifth in points (22). Bockhaus returned to Southland action after missing last season and earned a spot on the first-team after posting shutouts in Southeastern’s last four contests. Bockhaus’ nine shutouts on the year increased her conference record to 39 in her career. Junior midfielder Kelsey Salcido represented the Lady Lions on the second team.

Oral Roberts placed two on the first team in its first season of Southland competition. Junior midfielder Jennifer Abernathy and senior defender Lauren Parks represented the Golden Eagles on the team. Abernathy ranked fourth in the league in assists (5) and shots (55). Parks led a tough ORU defense that pulled out four conference wins in extra time. Parks earned player of the week honors three times throughout the season for her efforts. Sophomore forward Megan Giles, who ranked second in the conference with seven assists, earned a spot on the second team for the Golden Eagles.

Rounding out the first team is Central Arkansas’ Adriana Lucar. The junior from Lima, Peru, was also selected as the conference’s newcomer of the year. The forward for the Bears led the league in goals (14) and points (30). Lucar ranked 12th nationally in goals, 14th in goals per game (0.778) and 25th in points per game (1.67). Lucar is the first UCA player to earn one of the league’s top individual soccer honors.

Lamar and Sam Houston State each placed three members on the second team. Freshman forward Jannet Hernandez, sophomore midfielder Kristin Bos and junior defender Amber Thornhill represented the Lady Cardinals while freshman midfielder Katie Ferrara, senior defender Kayla Anderson and senior midfielder Kirby Zak are the Bearkats on the all-conference team.

Sam Houston State’s goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton earned honorable mention and was selected as the freshman of the year in the conference. Hambleton, a Katy, Texas, native, ranked second in the conference in saves per game (5.36), third in save percentage (.843) and fourth in shutouts (6). Hambleton played in net for 14 of Sam Houston’s 18 matches this season.

McNeese State sophomore forward Sarah LaLanne completes the second-team all-conference team after finishing the season with four assists, which is seventh best in the conference.

The 2012 Southland Soccer All-Conference teams are comprised of 12 first-team members and 10 second-team members and are chosen by vote of the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Due to a tie for in voting, two goalkeepers were selected to the first team, leaving the second-team goalkeeper position vacant.  The recipients are grouped by position and are placed by the number of votes received.

2012 All-Southland Conference Soccer Teams

First Team

Second Team

¹At-large selection
²Two-time first-team selection
³Three-time first-team selection
⁴Four-time first-team selection

Honorable mention: Kimmy Albeno, F, LU; Kayla Keller, F, ORU; Spencer Valdespino, F, NICH; Whitney Booth, F, ORU; Ashlee Savona, F, NWLA; Tricia Mallory, F, SHSU; Kayla Vera, F, SLU; Lisa Topping, MF, LU; Becky Johnson, MF, SFA; Lauren Stillians, MF, SLU; Karly Dagys, MF, SLU; Allison Hall, D, ORU; Shanyce Shaw, D, SLU; Amanda Biega, D, SHSU; Cheyenne Maxwell, D, SLU, Alejandra Amador, D, LU; Megan Snelling, D, MCN; Kylie Hambleton, GK, SHSU; Bailey Fontenot, GK, LU; Helen Erb, GK, ORU.

Player of the Year – Kylie Louw, Stephen F. Austin
Freshman of the Year – Kylie Hambleton, Sam Houston State
Newcomer of the Year – Adriana Lucar, Central Arkansas
Coach of the Year – Tony Amato, Stephen F. Austin