Kansas City, Mo. - After securing their third-straight regular season conference title, the Central Methodist women's soccer team garnered eight All-Conference selections including the Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.
Sophomore forward Sandra Jakobsen was tabbed as both the Heart Player and Offensive Player of the Year and landed on the First Team All-Conference list. So far this season, the Svendborg, Denmark native has tallied five goals and a conference leading 17 assists. The 17 assists also rank her No. 3 in the nation.
Jakobsen continues to add to her impressive resume as she was named the Heart Freshman of the Year and a Heart All-Conference First Team performer in 2020.
Junior defender Laura Riesenbeck was named the Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference performer for the second straight season. She also earned both honors as a sophomore in 2020. Riesenbeck has been a staple in Central's defensive backline, as the Eagles have only allowed one goal in conference play and three goals overall in the regular season. CMU has recorded 15 shutouts in 2021, tying for the second most in a single season in program history. For her efforts this season, Riesenbeck was named the Heart Defensive Player of the Week on two different occassions.
Midfielder Marcella Helena was named the Heart Freshman of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection after tallying nine goals and nine assists in the 2021 regular season. The Minas Gerais, Brazil native has appeared in 17 of Central's games with 15 starts, and recorded the game-winning goal against MidAmerica Nazarene back on Oct. 5 in Olathe.
Sophomore defender Alicia Zamora was the fourth Eagle to earn All-Conference honors, as she was named to the first team for the first time in her career. Zamora has appeared and started in all 18 matches for CMU this season, scoring six goals and collecting one assist. She has all been named the Heart Defensive Player of the Week twice.
Senior forward Andrea Villar rounds out the First Team All-Conference selections for the Eagles. The Madrid, Spain native was a force on the pitch, as she led the conference in goals scored (23), points (51), and shots (74) in her first season as a forward. As a result, Villar has scored more goals in 2021 than she did in her first four seasons combined (15). She also recorded five assists. Villar was recognized as the Heart Offensive Player of the Week on four different occassions, and earned the program's first-ever NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week honor back on Sept. 28.
Three Eagles were named to the All-Conference Second Team, as Kitti Torok, Maria Cervello and Roneisha Frank were recognized.
Torok appeared in all 18 matches for CMU including 17 starts. She finished the year tallying two goals and seven assists.
Cervello earned all-conference honors for the first time in her career. The native of Barcelona, Spain appeared in all 18 matches including 17 starts, picking up four goals and four assists, including the game winner against Baker on Oct. 9.
Frank was recognized as a Heart Second Team All-Conference performer after she tallied nine goals and three assists. She also scored three game winners, highlighted by a leaping header against No. 22 Benedictine College on Sept. 29.
The Eagles are set to do battle against Baker University in the Heart Semifinals on Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 6:00 p.m. at Davis Field.
To view the Heart release on this year's superlative award winners and all-conference honorees, please click here.
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