Seven earn Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association accolades for Women's Soccer
By Blake Moore
| 2018 Women's NCAA Division III All-Ohio (.pdf) | 2018 Women's NCAA Division III Academic All-Ohio (.pdf) |
ADA — Seven student-athletes represented the Ohio Northern women's soccer program on the annual Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio teams for the 2018 campaign, the OCSA central office announced Wednesday afternoon.
Junior goalkeeper Meagan Grierson (Miamisburg), junior midfielder Haley Moses (Mason), sophomore defender Sydney Leshnak (Liberty Township/Mount Notre Dame), and sophomore forward Jenna Fuller (Countryside, Ill./Lyons Township) were each tabbed to the OCSA All-Ohio First-Team for their efforts this past season. In addition, junior defender Hannah Martin (Mason/Mount Notre Dame) garnered All-Ohio Second-Team kudos for the first time in her career.
Meanwhile, Northern had three representatives listed on the Academic All-Ohio teams this year. Moses joined senior midfielder Sarah Puntel (Strongsville) with Academic All-Ohio First-Team honors while senior forward McKenna Welsh (Westerville/Bishop Hartley) took home Second-Team accolades.
For the third consecutive season, Grierson was added to the OCSA's top team after receiving similar honors during her freshman and sophomore campaigns.
This season, the junior netminder posted a 14-4-1 overall record in her 19 starts, logging over 1,695 minutes with 31 saves in goal for the Polar Bears. She would also best the Ohio Athletic Conference with a 0.53 goals against average, 12 shutouts, and 10 total goals against.
Earlier this postseason, Grierson was tabbed the OAC Goalkeeper of the Year and to the All-OAC First-Team for the third successive season. Additionally, the Miamisburg native landed on the United Soccer Coaches All-Great Lakes Region Second-Team and earned OAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on three occasions.
Grierson currently stands as the program's career shutouts leader with 32 clean sheets and ranks ninth all-time in career saves with 140. Additionally, she holds the freshman, sophomore, and junior class records in goals against average at Ohio Northern.
Moses garners her second straight All-Ohio First-Team accolade and the first Academic All-Ohio First-Team honor in her career with the announcement.
During the 2018 campaign, the Mason product paced the Polar Bear offense and ranked fifth in the Ohio Athletic Conference with six assists. She would also provide the ONU offense with two goals, both being game-winners, and end fourth on the team with 10 points from her midfield position.
Moses previously earned her third All-OAC nod with First-Team kudos this offseason before being named to the United Soccer Coaches All-North/South Region Second-Team, United Soccer Coaches All-Great Lakes Region First-Team, OAC All-Tournament Team, Academic All-OAC, and CoSIDA Academic All-District squad.
She has started all 61 career matches in her career at Ohio Northern and has tallied eight career goals, five game-winners, 17 assists, and 33 points.
Leshnak picked up her first All-Ohio award after a stellar sophomore season that led to OAC Defender of the Year, USC All-Great Lakes Region Second-Team, and All-OAC First-Team kudos in 2018.
The second-year defender started all 19 matches and anchored a Polar Bear backline that recorded 13 shutouts this season. Ohio Northern also reeled off a string of seven consecutive shutouts in 2018, which tied the school record.
In her two-year stint at ONU, Leshnak has registered five goals, an assist, and 11 points from her defensive position.
Fuller, who picks up her first All-Ohio honor, saw continued success this season as a top scoring threat for the Polar Bear offense in her second campaign.
In 2018, she registered a conference-best 16 goals while also recording two assists and a team-high 34 points. In addition, the sophomore would contibute seven game-winning goals throughout the year. Last season's goal total ranks second all-time among sophomores in program history while her point total sits third among the same group.
The Countryside, Illinois native adds the award to her United Soccer Coaches All-Great Lakes Region First-Team, All-OAC First-Team, OAC All-Tournament Team, Academic All-OAC, and OAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades from the 2018 campaign.
Fuller now owns 28 goals, 14 assists, 70 points, and 13 game-winning goals in her two-year career at Ohio Northern.
Martin also makes her first appearance on the OCSA All-Ohio listing in her three-year stint with ONU.
The junior defender teamed up with Leshnak to guide the program to 13 shutouts and a 0.52 goals against average this season. She would also contribute to the offensive attack, registering two assists during the campaign.
For her efforts this season, Martin additionally captured her second consecutive All-Ohio Athletic Conference Second-Team honor and USC All-Great Lakes Region Second-Team accolades this year.
Martin has been a mainstay at the defender position for Ohio Northern throughout the past three seasons, having started all 62 matches in which she has appeared. She has additionally tallied three goals and 10 assists for 16 career points.
Puntel, a senior Management/Risk Management and Insurance major, earns her second straight Academic All-Ohio honor and her first appearance on the First-Team squad with the announcement.
During her final campaign, the Strongsville native tallied seven points on three goals and an assist. In addition, she would provide the game-winning goal in a tight-knit, 1-0 victory over Capital via a converted penalty kick on October 20.
The senior capped her Ohio Northern career with her first All-Ohio Athletic Conference Second-Team recognition and her third successive Academic All-OAC nod.
Her final career numbers include 62 starts in 77 match appearances, 15 goals, six assists, and 36 points from the midfield position.
Welsh, a senior forward studying Exercise Physiology, claimed her first Academic All-Ohio accolade in her final season with the Polar Bears.
After sitting out the past two seasons, the Westerville native returned to the Ohio Northern lineup to finish second on the team with eight goals and 20 points. She would also end tied for second in the program with four assists.
Her 2018 efforts placed the senior on the All-OAC Second-Team, her first appearance on the conference listing, and on the Academic All-OAC squad.
Welsh has started 27 of her 39 career appearances and contributed 15 goals, four assists, 34 points, and four game-winning goals.
Ohio Northern concluded the 2018 season with a 14-4-1 overall record, which included a 7-1-1 mark in the Ohio Athletic Conference to wind up second in the final league standings. They would then proceed to the OAC Tournament Finals where they fell in the championship match 1-0 in overtime to conference champion Otterbein.