The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Women's Soccer Players Continue To Garner Postseason Awards
12/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Dec. 9, 2003
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- UAB women's soccer players Tara Kidwell and Briana McCarty were honored by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) on Tuesday as the pair of Blazer juniors earned prestigious Southeast Regional honors for their accomplishments during the 2003 season.
"I'm very pleased for both Tara and Briana and it's great to see that their efforts have been recognized by the coaches in the region," said UAB head coach Paul Harbin. "The Southeast Region is definitely one of the top regions in the nation and it is quite an honor for Tara and Briana to be named as two of the top players."
UAB's Kidwell was named a First-Team Southeast Regional selection on Tuesday after finishing the 2003 campaign as the Blazers' leading goal-scorer with 10. The Blazers' forward from Leesburg, Va., earned First-Team Conference USA honors this season and led the conference in goals scored during league competition with seven.
McCarty, who also earned First-Team C-USA honors this season, was named to the Third Team of the Southeast Region after serving as the anchor of UAB's record-setting defense.
The Blazers' native of Lawrenceville, Ga., was earlier named a Third-Team Academic All-American and started in all 19 of UAB's matches during the 2003 season. McCarty tallied two game-winning goals from her defensive position and added a pair of key assists for a total of six points on the year.
"It's nice to know that when you have success as a team that it allows a lot of your individual players to get the recognition that they deserve," Harbin said. "Having two of our players selected to Southeast Region teams is quite an honor and I think that these awards can be attributed to the overall success that we had as a team this season."
The Southeast Region is considered by many as the toughest region in the nation and it includes two of the four teams that advanced to the NCAA College Cup this season. North Carolina finished the year with an unblemished 27-0 record and won the 2003 National Championship title, while Florida State advanced to its first-ever final four.
The UAB women's soccer team finished the 2003 campaign as the C-USA regular-season champions and registered a school-record 13 victories. The Blazers concluded the season with an impressive 13-5-1 overall record and were ranked as high as eighth in the NSCAA Southeast Regional rankings.
2003 National Soccer Coaches Association of America
Southeast Region Soccer Teams
First Team
GK, Thora Helgadottir, Duke
D, Melanie Booth, Florida
D, Sandy Carnes, Auburn
D, Catherine Reddick, North Carolina
MF, Lori Chalupny, North Carolina
MF, Stephanie Freeman, Florida
MF, Allison Graham, Clemson
F, Leah Gallegos, Florida State
F, Tara Kidwell, UAB
F, Lindsay Tarpley, North Carolina
F, Jessica Winton, Georgia
Second Team
GK, Megan Rivera, Auburn
D, Katie Beal, Florida State
D, Penny Perrott, East Carolina
D, Kate Seibert, Duke
MF, Crystal Frimpong, Florida
MF, Robin Fulton, Florida
MF, Casey McCluskey, Duke
MF, Kacey White, North Carolina
F, Courtney Foster, Clemson
F, Hilary McKay, UNC-Asheville
F, Sarah Steinmann, Auburn
Third Team
GK, Joy McKenzie, Florida State
D, Kristin Boyce, Florida State
D, Paige Ledford, Clemson
D, Briana McCarty, UAB
MF, Dena Floyd, Florida
MF, Rhonda Jones, Florida Atlantic
MF, Rakel Logadottir, UNC-Greensboro
MF, Andrea Velasco, Georgia
F, Rebecca Eshleman, Central Florida
F, Meghan McCallion, East Carolina
F, Emily Turgeon, Furman
