Women's Soccer Dominates WHAC Postseason Honors

The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference released its 2017 women's soccer honors on Wednesday, with Northwestern Ohio winning four individual awards and earning nine selections to the First Team, two to the All-Newcomer Team and seven to the All-Academic Team.

Forward Evdokia Popadinova (SO/Hadzhidimovo, Bulgaria) was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year while goalkeeper Romane Salvador (FR/Lyon, France) was named the Defensive Player of the Year, midfielder Rikke Sevecke (FR/Nykobing, Denmark) the Newcomer of the Year and Stuart Gore the Coach of the Year.

Popadinova leads the WHAC with 14 assists, six more than any other player in the conference, is third in goals with 17 and is second in points with 48. Named the NAIA Offensive Player of the Week on October 3 along with being chosen as the WHAC Offensive Player of the Week on August 28 and October 2, Popadinova tallied two or more goals in a match six times this season, including three against Rochester on September 30, and had three matches of two or more assists, with her season high being three versus Olivet Nazarene on September 16.

Salvador was a key part of a Racer defense that posted 12 shutouts during the regular season and allowed just five goals altogether. The NAIA Defensive Player of the Week on September 5, she was selected as the WHAC Defensive Player of the Week on August 28 and September 4. Salvador recorded seven saves in a 2-1 win at #3 Vanguard on August 31 and had six saves on five other occasions.

Sevecke finished the regular season third on the team with six goals and second with seven assists. Five of her goals and four assists came during conference play, including two goals and two assists at Indiana Tech on October 11.

Sevecke's selection marks the second straight year that a Racer has been chosen as the WHAC Newcomer of the Year, with Popadinova earning the honor in 2016.

This is the third time that Gore has been tabbed as the WHAC Coach of the Year (2014, 2015). In his fifth year at the helm, Gore has posted an overall record of 95-13-6 and a conference mark of 44-4, including outright or shared regular-season titles each of the past four seasons.

Joining Popadinova, Salvador and Sevecke on the First Team are defenders Sanni Valila (SR/Pori, Finland), Julie Cazanave (SO/Lucq de Bearn, France ) and Kate Agyemang (FR/Kumasi, Ghana), midfielders Robyn Moodaly (SR/East London, South Africa) and Bogca Horvath (SO/Budapest, Hungary) and forward Camilla Andersen (JR/Horsens, Denmark).

This is the second time that Valila has been named to the First Team as she also was selected in 2015. Cazanave posted six assists on the year, including two against Bellevue, while Agyemang scored goals against Olivet Nazarene and Rochester and had assists at Indiana Tech and Cornerstone.

Moodaly, a First Team honoree in 2016, tallied goals versus Lourdes and Cornerstone and had two assists against Olivet Nazarene and one each versus Westmont and Rochester. Horvath scored four goals, three coming in conference play against Rochester, Lawrence Tech and Siena Heights, and had four assists, including two versus Olivet Nazarene.

Andersen, the WHAC Offensive Player of the Week on September 4 and a First Team selection last season, is second in the conference in goals with 18 and third in points with 39. She recorded three goals against Olivet Nazarene on September 16 and had two goals in five other matches, including Indiana Tech, Lourdes and Lawrence Tech in WHAC play.

Defender Anna Fisker (FR/Hadsund, Denmark) and midfielder Laura Condon (FR/Le Bez, France) were named to the All-Newcomer Team. Fisker recorded two goals on the season against Bellevue and at #11 Westmont while Condon tallied a goal versus Lourdes and added six assists, including two against Rochester and one versus Bellevue, Westmont, Olivet Nazarene and Lourdes.

The Racers also received several honors off the pitch as midfielder Marie Adram (SR/Elancourt, France) was selected to the Champions of Character Team while Andersen, forward Jackie Gardner (JR/Kalida, OH), goalkeeper Tayla Gould (JR/Cardiff, Wales), midfielder Jonna Ingvaldsson (SR/Hallabro, Sweden), midfielder Milly Hawkins (JR/Kumeu, New Zealand), Moodaly and Valila were named to the All-Academic Team.

UNOH (15-1-1, 10-0 WHAC), winners of 11 straight and currently #2 in the NAIA Women's Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll, opens Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference Tournament play on Wednesday, November 1, as the Racers host Lawrence Tech in a quarterfinal match at Racer Stadium starting at 3:00.

For a complete list of the WHAC Women's Soccer Awards, click here.