The LU women’s soccer team took top honors on the All-Midwest Conference team, as selected by the league’s coaches. Senior forward Megan Tiemann was named the conference’s Player of the Year for the second time in her career, having previously won the honor as a freshman in 1998. Coach Moira Ruhly earned Coach of the Year honors for the first time.
Junior goalkeeper Katie Wilkin was also named to the All-Conference First Team, while senior defenders Sandi Blick and Tiffany Campbell made the second team.
Tiemann, a native of Kent, WA, made the first team for the fourth consecutive year. Tiemann led Lawrence to a 13-6-1 record this season and best record in the conference at 8-1. In nine conference games, she scored six goals and had four assists giving her 16 points. For the season, Tiemann registered 13 goals and five assists, giving her 31 points in all.
This year, Tiemann made a habit of scoring crucial goals. She scored the game-winning goals in both the semi-final and the final of the MWC Tournament. Lawrence won the MWC Tournament for the second year in a row with a 2-1 win over Grinnell College in the semifinals, and a 1-0 victory over St. Norbert College in the championship match. She also scored both goals in the 2-1 victory over Aurora University in the opening round of the NCAA Division III Championships.
The former star at Meridian High School has been the key to the most successful stretch ever for Lawrence women’s soccer. Over the past four seasons, the Vikings have gone 42-28-5 in conference play, won two MWC championships, and have appeared in the NCAA tournament twice. Tiemann now owns three Lawrence career records. She is tops with 55 goals, 25 assists, and 135 points.
Ruhly, a native of Larchmont, NY, is in her third season as Vikings coach. She has compiled a 31-22-4 record in that time, and her .578 winning percentage is the best in school history. Ruhly was the coach in 2000 when Lawrence won its first MWC championship, and the 13 wins this season set a school record.
Wilkin, a native of Oregon, earned first team honors for the first time. A Second Team All-Conference selection last season, Wilkin averaged 0.38 goals against, recorded a .951 save percentage, and a 6-1 record in conference play. For the season, the former Oregon High School standout had a 9-4-1 record, a 1.03 goals against average, and a .909 save percentage. She had seven shutouts this season, including six in conference play.
Blick earned second team honors for the second consecutive season. The Port Washington native was the rock in the middle of the Lawrence defense, which gave up a stingy 0.32 goals per game in conference play. Defensive standout Campbell, a native of Green Bay and former star at Ashwaubenon High School, was named to the second team for the first time.