INDIANAPOLIS – Bellarmine University junior forward Mary Beth Gorham, along with Truman State University senior defender Jessica Hanson, Quincy University freshman forward Abby Pulliam, and Bellarmine head coach Chris Tinius have earned major postseason honors for the 2015 Great Lakes Valley Conference Women's Soccer season, it was announced by the league office Thursday evening. Gorham was voted by the league coaches as GLVC Offensive Player of the Year, while the Bulldogs’ Hanson was picked as the Defensive Player of the Year, the Hawks’ Pulliam was Freshman of the Year, and the Knights’ Tinius garnered Coach of the Year accolades. In addition, a total of 33 standouts were named to the 2015 All-Conference Teams. The annual awards were presented Thursday at a reception on the eve of the 2015 GLVC Championship Tournament.
Gorham earned the league’s top offensive honor after registering a Conference-best four game-winning goals in GLVC contests. She also tallied the second most goals (8) and points (19). The Nicholasville, Kentucky, native had a foot in three other goals during league play, notching five total assists on the year. The junior was integral to the Knights’ success in 2015, leading the group to its first ever GLVC Regular Season Title and a near perfect league mark of 12-1-2, including a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division II Top 25 ranking as high as 13th. She was honored as the season’s inaugural Offensive Player of the Week on September 7 after totaling seven points on three goals and one assist, while scoring the game-winner in two non-conference matches against Lake Erie and G-MAC preseason favorite Ursuline. Gorham was the 2013 Freshman of the Year but becomes the first Knight to earn Offensive Player of the Year distinction. Overall, two other Bellarmine standouts have garnered postseason accolades, including two-time Defensive Player of the Year Abby Schuhmann (2009-10) and 2002 Co-Freshman of the Year Sarah Barton. This is the forward’s third-straight nod to the All-GLVC First Team.
With her selection, Hanson makes history for Truman State as the first ever women’s soccer major postseason award winner. She is also just the fourth Truman female to earn such a distinction while the sixth Bulldog ever in the postseason spotlight. The senior anchored a defensive unit in 2015 that held league teams to a .033 shot percentage, allowing just five goals. The backline also racked up the second-most shutouts in the loop during league games with 10, while seven of those came in TSU’s final eight matches. Hanson also contributed offensively in GLVC contests with five points via two goals and one assist. She makes her first appearance on the All-GLVC First Team and is a three-time All-GLVC selection, earning a third-team nod as a sophomore and voted to the Second Team last season.
Pulliam’s recognition gives Quincy its fourth Freshman of the Year in women’s soccer after Becky Fleming took home the honors in 2006, Jodi Chapie was recognized in 2010, while senior teammate Ashley Burton was the 2012 honoree. The forward tied for sixth in the Conference during league games with 17 points, while she was tied for fifth in goals (7). Her numbers were good for second best on the Hawks’ lineup behind Burton, who had 10 goals and 23 points. Additionally, one of Pulliam’s goals was a game-winner, and she also supplemented with three assists in GLVC competitions. Both she and Burton were voted to the All-GLVC First Team.
Tinius has guided his 13th-ranked Knights to a 16-1-2 record overall, including 12-1-2 in league play and the first Regular Season Conference Championship in program history. The second-year leader becomes Bellarmine’s second Coach of the Year honoree as his successor Jonathon Velotta was voted by his peers as such in 2011. Tinius’ crew notched a host of All-Conference slots, including four first-team nods in Gorham, junior midfielder Lauren Holder, senior defender Jordan Major, and sophomore goalkeeper Taylor Smith. Junior defender Lexy Hazle was recognized by the league on the Second Team, and junior midfielder Sydney Kraus was a third-team pick.
Twenty-five other women's soccer stars earned recognition from the GLVC coaches, as three 11-member All-Conference teams were also released on Thursday.
Of the 33 All-Conference selections, Quincy led the way with seven representatives, putting two on the First Team, one on the Second Team and four on the Third Team. Bellarmine followed with six total selections, leading the way on the First Team with four while one each as second- and third-teamers. With four selections each were Drury University, University of Missouri-St. Louis and Truman, as TSU had two first-team picks and Drury and UMSL had one apiece. Maryville and Rockhurst garnered two nominees, the Hawks with both on the Second Team and both Saints nabbing third-team spots. Rounding out the teams with All-Conference votes include the University of Illinois Springfield, Lewis University, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and William Jewell College all with one honoree.
Joining the four Knights, two Hawks and Truman’s Hanson on the first-team All-GLVC squad were Drury’s Paige Westbrook, Lewis’ Maggie Moran, UMSL’s Miriam Taylor and TSU’s Alexis Heffernan.
A complete list of the three All-Conference Teams and major postseason award winners follows below.
GLVC Women's Soccer action resumes Friday with top-seeded Bellarmine, No. 2 Truman State, No. 3 Quincy and No. 4 Missouri-St. Louis competing in semifinal action of the 2015 GLVC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament, hosted by Bellarmine at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium in Louisville, Kentucky. Friday's semifinal rounds between Quincy and Truman (3:55 p.m. ET) and Bellarmine and UMSL (6:30 p.m.), along with Sunday's championship final (12 p.m. ET) will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network at
GLVCsports.com/watch.
2015 WOMEN’S SOCCER ALL-GLVC TEAMS & POSTSEASON HONORS
Offensive Player of the Year
Mary Beth Gorham, F, Jr., BU
Defensive Player of the Year
Jessica Hanson, D, Sr., TSU
Freshman of the Year
Abby Pulliam, F, Fr., QU
Coach of the Year
Chris Tinius, BU
FIRST TEAM
Mary Beth Gorham, F, Jr., BU
Lauren Holder, MF, Jr., BU
Jordan Major, D, Sr., BU
Taylor Smith, GK, So., BU
Paige Westbrook, D, Sr., DU
Maggie Moran, F, Sr., LEWIS
Miriam Taylor, F, Jr., UMSL
Ashley Burton, MF, Sr., QU
Abby Pulliam, F, Fr., QU
Jessica Hanson, D, Sr., TSU
Alexis Heffernan, MF, Sr., TSU
SECOND TEAM
Lexy Hazle, D, Jr., BU
Emily Cline, F, R-Sr., DU
Kerri Morris, F, So., DU
Ciara O’Brien, MF, Sr., DU
Kayla Delgado, F, Jr., UMSL
Maxine Peat, D, Sr., QU
Jessica Bayens, D, Sr., RU
Courtney Silberberg, MF, Jr., RU
Katie Mattingly, GK, So., TSU
Stephanie Williams, F, R-Jr., TSU
Jillian Hetfleisch, MF, Jr., UWP
THIRD TEAM
Sydney Kraus, MF, Jr., BU
Paige Polonus, GK, Sr., UIS
Shannon Foley, F, Sr., MU
Amanda Wiechens, D, Sr., MU
McKayla Harder, F, Fr., UMSL
Mary Hoffmann, D, Sr., UMSL
Allison Birke, D, So., QU
Maddy Kuhlenberg, D, Jr., QU
Haylye Markway, MF, Sr., QU
Mackenzie Rief, F, So., QU
Jade Gifford, MF, Sr., WJC