2018 College Soccer Season in Review

December 5, 2018

2018 saw 66 Total Futbol alums playing actively on the rosters of 50 different schools, with 33 freshmen making their collegiate debuts while 19 seniors played in their final college games. Numerous accolades and notable achievements included regular season and tournament championships, United Soccer Coaches All-America honors, First Team All-Conference accolades, and Academic All-League awards.

TF alums played in a total of 968 college games this season (starting in 470 of those contests), collectively scoring 81 goals and providing 61 assists. You can see all of our current and former Total Futbol players who have made the leap to the college game (or have actively committed to do so) by clicking HERE

Seniors Bid College Soccer Farewell

Nineteen TF alumni in college were seniors in 2018. Collectively, these veterans scored 32 goals (14 of them were game winners) and added 30 assists: they played in 325 games and notched 176 starts. Several players had standout years and we will highlight a few of those performances here:
 
 
Rubii Tamen (Amherst College): Tamen led the Division III New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) with 16 goals (7 game winners), combining for 33 points on the season; She was named United Soccer Coaches (USC) Division III All-America First Team; USC All-New England First Team; NESCAC Player of the Year; NESCAC First Team All-Conference for the second year in a row; Scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that sent Amherst to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament. Over the course of her four years, Tamen posted three consecutive 20+ point seasons with 32 total goals and 10 assists.
 
Jarena Harmon (University of Maryland): Appeared in 19 games and started 12; Tallied 18 shots with 11 shots on goal (.611); Scored six goals and notched one assist for a team-leading 13 points; Academic All-Big Ten in 2018. In her four-year collegiate soccer career (the first year at Pittsburgh), Harmon scored a total of 22 goals and provided four assists.
 

Alia Abu El Hawa (Virginia Tech): Started 21 games for the Hokies in 2018 (missing only one match). Over the course of her stellar four-year defensive career as a Hokie, Abu Hawa played in a total of 72 matches, starting 68 of them. Abu El Hawa also played for the Jordanian National Team during her college soccer career.
 
Audrey Denkler (American University): Denkler started every match for the Eagles in 2018, scoring three goals and assisting with another seven (two of her goals were game winners); All-Patriot League Second Team; Patriot League Academic All-League; Two-time Patriot League Midfielder of the Week; Two-Time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
 

Juniors and Sophomores See Success

A total of 14 TF alumni were either sophomores (11) or juniors (3) in 2018. Collectively, this group scored 24 goals (including 9 game winners) and added 15 assists. They played in 209 games, earning 77 starts.

 
Kristin Schnurr (Penn State): Schnurr, a redshirt junior, was a super sub for the powerhouse Penn State team, scoring 8 goals and adding three assists in 25 games while starting just eight of them; Her 13 points placed her second on the team in offensive stats; Academic All-Big 10.
 
Maddie Cochran (Christopher Newport University): The sophomore forward scored five goals (one of ‘em a game winner) and assisted on six others for the CNU Captains in 2018, fulfilling the promise seen in her rookie season; Played in 23 games and started 22; CNU posted a 21-2-0 record for the year, winning both the regular season and tournament titles in the Division III Capital Athletic Conference and advancing to the Semifinal of the Division III NCAA National Championship.
 
Abby Alexa (Shenandoah University): After transferring to Shenandoah from Davis & Elkins College, Alexa tore up the pitch in her sophomore year: Started 13 of 19 games, scored 6 goals and added two assists for 13 points; Five of her goals were game winners. 

Freshmen Make Dazzling Debuts

The largest contingent (33) of TF alumni in college were freshmen in 2018. Collectively, these rookies scored 25 goals (8 of them were game winners) and added 16 assists. They played in 434 games, starting 217 of them. Here are some highlights… because we can’t cover all 33 impressive debuts:
 
Emily Kavanaugh (University of Illinois - Chicago): First freshman in program history to lead the team in goals (5), assists (3), and points (13); Produced the second-most shots (38) and tied for the top mark in shots on goal (19); All-Horizon League Freshman Team; All- Horizon League Second Team (Kavanaugh is the third UIC player in history to be named All-League and All-Freshman in the same year).
 
Liz Zhou (Wellesley): Freshman defender started and played in all 16 games but posed an offensive threat as well; First career goal was also the game-winner in Wellesley's 1-0 victory over UMass-Boston on September 5 (she finished the season with 7 shots total); NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team; Wellesley’s website states: “In just her first collegiate season, Zhou displayed a great combination of skills and selflessness and was rewarded with a goal during just her third collegiate game.”
 
Abbey Hoisington (Southwest Minnesota State University): Appeared in 15 games with 13 career starts as a freshman (missed two games with an injury); Recorded a team second-best five goals … recorded two goals against Minnesota Crookston (9/28) …  recorded two assists … earned 12 points; Had 21 shots on goal off 34 shots; One game-winning goal against Minnesota Crookston on September 28.
 
 
Makenzie DePriest-Kessler (Elon University): Started 15 of 16 games in her rookie season, becoming a regular in the starting lineup.
 
Maria Pereja (George Washington University): Played in all 19 games in her first-year campaign, one of two first-year players to do so; Made 12 starts and spent 1,268 minutes on the pitch; Found the back of the net for the first time against Rhode Island (September 20); Recorded 34 shots and rattled off a season-high six shots at George Mason (September 27); Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team.
 
Abbey Duncan (University of Pennsylvania): Played in 15 games, making three starts; Finished sixth on the team in scoring with seven points after scoring twice and adding three assists; Recorded the first point of her career in a 2-0 win over UMBC (September 14) at Rhodes Field, assisting on the game-winning goal.
 
Isabella Ponzi (Georgia): Started every single game in her freshman year (18 total) and racked up 1,479 minutes on the pitch; Notched one assist. 

And When Your Run Into Your Former Teammates (or Parents) on The College Pitch... SMILE

 From Left to Right: Megan Fisher (Hofstra) and Claire Constant (UVA); Annie Sorando (UNC-Charlotte) and Amber DiOrio (VCU); Isabella Ponzi (Georgia) and Grace Sklopan (VT); Lily Harkes, Jasmine Bryant and Makenzie DePriest -Kessler (all from Elon).
  
From Left to Right: Senior Stephanie Stahl (VCU) with her parents on Senior Day; Seniors Lauren Harkes (Clemson) and Claire Bean (Pittsburgh); Lily Harkes (Elon) with her parents (both college soccer players at UVA).