BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-WKU Soccer put the wraps on the 2012 season on Friday night at the annual WKU Soccer Banquet at the Jack and Jackie Harbaugh Stadium Club at Houchens Industries/L.T. Smith Stadium on the campus of Western Kentucky University.
WKU finished the 2012 season with a 12-5-3 record and a 7-2-3 record against league opponents. WKU was unbeaten in seven of their final eight matches of the season. WKU has registered 48 wins over the last four years, including a 2011 Sun Belt Conference Championship game appearance.
The Lady Toppers have won at least nine games each of the last seven seasons and finished with at least six conference wins each of the last seven years. The team has five graduating seniors in 2012-13, including Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year Ali Stahlke, Lauren Crowder, Courtney Rymer, Christen Sims and one of the top scorers in program history, Amanda Buechel. Each senior presented emotional speeches reflecting on their careers at the event.
As a model student-athlete and standard of a WKU Soccer player, Stahlke was named the ROTC Leadership Award winner. Stahlke was also named the team's Most Valuable Player and had previously been named a Capital One Academic All-America® First Team selection and the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Crowder was the 2012 winner of the Coach's Award. The award is determined by the coaching staff and given to the student-athlete whose outstanding character, commitment, and passion for the game embodies the most positive ideals of intercollegiate athletics.
Sims was named the Alumni Spirit Award winner. The award is voted on by an alumni panel and awarded to the student-athlete who is the "Good Citizen of the Team" and represents the team and WKU to the fullest. In addition to her leadership within the soccer team, Sims made commitments to working with the Big Brothers, Big Sisters program and played her senior season as a newlywed.
In addition, Stahlke took home the team's Defensive Player of the Year honors and Buechel earned Offensive Player of the Year honors. Rising junior Kelsey Burnette took home honors as the team's Most Improved Player.
Eight Earn 4.0 GPA in Fall Semester: Eight WKU Soccer players earned 4.00 GPS marks in the fall semester. The individuals were Allie Auscherman, Amanda Buechel, Alanna Clancey, Andrea Curry, Torrie Lange, Courtney Rymer, Ali Stahlke and Kayla Steber. The group was honored during the banquet for their academic achievement during the fall semester.
Alumni Game Caps Special Weekend: On Saturday, WKU held the annual Alumni Game. Over 35 alums braved the cold temperatures to attend and participate in the game alongside family and friends.
"It is important for our current players to be around the great players that have built the foundation for our continued success on and off the field," said Neidell. "It is really exciting to have such a large number of players come back and be here for the event. With our program being just over a decade old, I am extremely excited about the continued interest and success of the annual alumni game and alumni weekend. It was outstanding to have so many of our past players back on the field where all of them dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears during their time with the Lady Topper Soccer program. They've all left an impression on this program, and continue to set a standard for this program by showing their support as an alum."
The current set of Lady Toppers won the matchup with the alumni 4-0. Chandler Clark scored in the opening minute of play before two goals from Chrissy Tchoula and a goal from Lauren Moats helped WKU's current squad to post the win.
For complete coverage of WKU Soccer, visit the official website of WKU Athletics at www.wkusports.com.
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