Kansas City, Mo. - After a stellar 2021 campaign, the Central Methodist women's soccer team garnered five NAIA All-Americans, the most by any team in program history.
Andrea Villar and Sandra Jakobsen were both tabbed as First-Team All-Americans, while junior defender Laura Riesenbeck earned second-team honors. Alicia Zamora and Marcella Helena rounded out the All-America honorees for Central, as each landed on the third team. Overall, CMU, Tennessee Southern, and William Carey led all teams at the top with five honorees on the top three teams.
Villar was recognized as a First Team All-American for the first time in her career. She was previously tabbed as an Honorable Mention All-American during the 2020-21 campaign. This season, Villar served as Central's primary goal scorer, as she tallied 29 goals along with eight assists. In 2021 alone, the Eagles' team captain more than doubled her career total in goals scored in just one season compared to her first four with the Eagles. The 29 goals scored are tied for the third-most in a single season in program history. Villar was also recognized as a Heart First Team All-Conference performer, was named the Heart Conference Player of the Week four times, and earned the program's first-ever NAIA National Offensive Player of the Week award back on Sept. 28. In addition, Villar was named to the 2021 NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team.
Jakobsen returns to the All-America list after earning third-team honors as a freshman in 2020-21. The sophomore forward recorded six goals and 18 assists in 2021, good enough for the fourth-best in the NAIA. She started in all 24 of Central's matches this season and was recognized by the conference as the Heart Player and Offensive Player of the Year in addition to First Team All-Conference honors. For her performance in the NAIA National Tournament, Jakobsen was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Riesenbeck is now a two-time second-team All-American after being recognized during her sophomore campaign. The native of Beverstedt, Germany started in all 24 of Central's matches as a team captain, anchoring the defensive backline to a program-record 19 shutouts. CMU's defense allowed only nine goals during the season including two or more goals on three different occasions. For her efforts in conference play, Riesebeck was named the Heart Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference performer for the second straight season. Riesebeck also joined Villar and Jakobsen on the NAIA National Championship All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore defender Alicia Zamora was recognized as an NAIA Third Team All-American for the first time in her career. Zamora joined Riesebeck on the defensive backline, starting in all 24 of Central's matches. She finished the year with six goals including an assist. Overall, Zamora helped lead the CMU defense to an opposing shooting percentage of .095. She earned Heart First-Team All-Conference honors and was twice named the Heart Defensive Player of the Week.
Helena rounds out the NAIA All-Americans for CMU, as the freshman joined Zamora as a Third-Team All-America selection. The native of Minas Gerais, Brazil was a welcome addition to CMU, as she appeared in 23 matches with 21 starts. She finished second on the team in both goals scored (16) and assists (11).
The Eagles recorded one of their best finishes in program history, as they once again swept the regular season and conference tournament titles. CMU matched the school record for single-season wins (22) and made their deepest postseason run ever, appearing in their first NAIA National Championship Semifinal match. The highlight of the postseason came for the Eagles in a 2-0 shutout of the two-time defending national champions in the national quarterfinals.
To view the complete list of NAIA All-Americans, please click here.
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