ANDERSON, S.C. -- After leading the Anderson women's soccer team
to its most wins in school history and the third seed in the
Conference Carolinas' tournament this week, freshmen Jessica
Kleinberg and Ashley Cotton, along with junior Katelyn Conover have
been recognized as all-conference performers, as announced by the
conference office Thursday afternoon. Kleinberg was named to the
first team after starting 17 contests for the Trojans, earning
conference Player of the Week honors twice. She finished the
regular season ranked in the top 10 in seven offensive categories,
including first in the conference in shots, shots per game and tied
for first in the conference in game-winning goals in league play.
The Hamilton, Ohio native leads the Trojans with team with 22
points on the strength of a team-high nine goals, including four
game-winners overall and has four assists. The 5-foot-3 forward
closed the season with a flourish, earning one of her Player of the
Week honors the final week of the season, as AU claimed the third
seed in the tourney. "I am very pleased that Jessica was named to
the first team because she was the most threatening player in an
arsenal of attackers that seemed to never quit," said Anderson head
coach Jason Dowiak. "This is a well deserved honor." Cotton and
Conover were selected to the second team following a regular season
that saw the Trojans start slowly but build into a force to be
reckoned with during the second half of the season. Cotton earned
conference Player of the Week honors on Oct. 28 after notching a
hat-trick in the road win at Coker and scored six goals in the span
of three matches, including two game-winners. The native of
Sumpter, S.C., is second on the team with 15 points behind seven
goals, including the pair of game-winners, and an assist and boasts
a team-best shots on goal percentage of .615. Conover, a 5-foot-6
defender from Simpsonville, S.C., notch a goal in AU's win at Coker
and recorded an assist on the game-winning goal versus Belmont
Abbey in late September. She has helped anchor a defense that has
posted three consecutive shutouts down the stretch. "Katelyn
Conover has been working so hard since her freshman year to be the
best player she can be and her God-given athletic talents are truly
now being complimented by her strong technical ability and tactical
awareness," Dowiak added. "As for Ashley Cotton, this maybe the
biggest accomplishment seeing as how she is a freshman walk-on. To
have three players named All-Conference is an awesome tribute to
what our team as a whole has done this season," "I am so proud of
this team and the statements we've made this year. We've taken
drastic steps forward as a program and having players honored with
All-Conference awards is a testament to where we are headed."
Anderson is riding a school-record eight-match win streak as the
Trojans play host to seventh-seeded Limestone in the semifinals of
the conference tournament tonight at the AU Soccer Field. Click
here to view the entire Conference Carolinas women's and men's
All-Conference Teams. All
Conference Teams