Kansas City, Mo. - Four members of the Central Methodist Women's Soccer program were tabbed as NAIA All-Americans by the national office Wednesday.
Senior Defender Laura Riesenbeck led the way with a Second Team All-America selection, while junior forward Sandra Jakobsen was selected to the third team. The duo of Marcella Helena and Roneisha Frank earned Honorable Mention nods.
Riesenbeck appeared and started in all 23 of Central's game in 2022, leading the defensive backline to 14 shut outs and a 0.52 goals against average. The native of Beverstedt, Germany scored a career-best five goals and tied for the team lead with eight assists in her final season as an Eagle. For her efforts in conference play, Riesenebeck was named the Heart Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection for the third-straight season. She and Jakobsen become the first three-time NAIA All-Americans in program history.
Jakobsen made 18 starts in 18 appearances for CMU, scoring 11 goals and tying for the team lead with eight assists. This year, Jakobsen was named both the Heart Player and Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. She was also tabbed as a Heart First Team All-Conference selection for the third-straight year. In only three seasons with Central, the Svendborg, Denmark native broke the program record for career assists with 41, five better than the second place. Jakobsen also owns the single-season program record for assists, dishing out 18 as a sophomore in 2021.
Helena earned an Honorable Mention nod in 2022 after landing on the Third Team as a freshman in 2021. She made 21 starts in 22 appearances for CMU, finishing second on the team in goals scored with 17 along with five assists. Six of her 17 goals proved to be game winners, including the go-ahead goal vs. MidAmerica Nazarene in the Heart Tournament Championship Final on Nov. 11. For her efforts in conference play, Helena was tabbed as a First-Team All-Conference selection for the second consecutive year.
Frank rounds out the All-America honors for CMU, joining Helena as an Honorable Mention selection. Frank proved to be lethal offensively, leading Central in goals scored (19), points (41), shots (82), and matching Helena with six game winners. Her best game came against Park on Oct. 8 when she scored a hat trick. In addition, Frank was also selected to the Heart All-Conference First Team after earning second team honors as a junior in 2021.
The Eagles finished the year with a 19-3-1 overall record including an 11-0-1 mark in conference play. Central remained undefeated at home for fourth consecutive season, with their last lost coming on Oct. 10, 2018. CMU swept the Heart Regular Season and Conference Tournament titles for the fourth-straight year and earned a spot in the NAIA National Tournament for the sixth time in their history.
To view the complete list of 2022 NAIA Women's Soccer All-Americans, please click here.
#TakeFlight
