Belmont Abbey senior goalkeeper Anna Donaldson was named the
Conference Carolinas Player of the Year and head coach Robert Lane
was named Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year, while seven
Crusaders earned all-conference honors. Donaldson, junior forward
Connie Axiotis, junior midfielder Nicole Voets, senior defender
Kristin Voirin and junior defender Carly Kensinger were named to
the first-team. Sophomore defender Kristin Foster was named to the
second-team and junior midfielder Rebecca Mateo was named to the
third-team.
Donaldson becomes the third-straight Belmont Abbey player to be
named the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year. A fifth-year
senior, Donaldson has started all 20 matches, posting 13 shutouts
with a record of 17-1-2. She is third in the nation in shutout
percentage, tenth in goals against average, and 28th in save
percentage.
Axiotis, the 2009 Conference Carolinas Player of the Year, earns
first-team honors for the second-straight year after scoring a
team-high nine goals with two assists. The 2008 Conference
Carolinas Freshman of the Year and third-team selection, Axiotis
was named the Conference Player of the Week on October 5 after
scoring two goals to help secure the Abbey's 3-2 win at Queens.
Voets earns a spot on the first-team for the second-straight
year after scoring seven goals and assisting on two others. She
enters the tournament final with a two-match goal scoring streak,
finding the back of the net twice in the 5-0 quarterfinal win over
Saint Andrews Presbyterian and scoring the first goal in the 3-2
semifinal win over Lees-McRae. She earned second-team honors as a
freshman.
Voirin, a fifth-year senior as a center back, earned second-team
honors as a sophomore in 2007 and first team honors in 2008. This
year, she has played in 20 matches and has scored three goals while
helping anchor a defense that is third nationally in shutout
percentage and sixth in goals against average.
Kensinger earns all-conference honors for the first time after
starting all 20 matches as the Abbey's left back. Foster also earns
all-conference honors for the first time, starting as the Abbey's
right back. Starting all 20 matches, Foster has scored one goal and
has a team-leading nine assists, a total that is third in the
conference. Her 0.39 assists per game total is 79th nationally.
Mateo is honored for the first time with a third-team nod. A
midfielder, Mateo has scored six goals in 20 matches, four coming
as game-winners, with two assists. She was named Conference
Carolinas Player of the Week on September 8 after helping the Abbey
to a 3-0 record to open the year, scoring two goals and assisting
on another.
Lane, in his second year as the Abbey Head Coach, has guided the
Crusaders to a record of 31-7-2 record overall and an 18-2-1 record
in Conference Carolinas play. He has led the Abbey to a pair of
Conference Carolinas Regular Season titles, a Tournament title and
the Crusaders first trip to the NCAA Regionals since the 2001
season. This year, he guided the Abbey to its first national
ranking since the 2008 season, reaching as high as 16th, and a
regional ranking of number one earlier in the year.