Lady Bobcat soccer team gets shutout of MEC postseason honors

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. – The Mountain East Conference today announced its 2022 Women’s Soccer All-Conference teams and major award winners following the competition of the regular season on Sunday evening.

West Virginia State senior forward Fran Soares-Cupertino was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year, while Frostburg State’s Abbey Dennis and Charleston’s Madison Hansen shared Defensive Player of the Year accolades. Davis & Elkins midfielder Seike Ikezoe was named the MEC Freshman of the Year, while Frostburg State head coach Brian Parker was voted the MEC Coach of the Year.

Soares-Cupertino, a senior forward for West Virginia State, finished tied for the league lead with 16 goals and also passed out a league-high 10 assists on the season for the Yellow Jackets. She also led the league and ranked fourth nationally in points per game (2.47) this season. The 16 goals are the seventh-most in the country this season, while the 10 assists rank tied for 11^th in the nation. She had four multiple goal games and two multiple assist games during the 2022 season. Soares-Cupertino also scored five game-winning goals for the Yellow Jackets this season. She was a three-time MEC Offensive Player of the Week.

Dennis, a graduate student and defender, helped lead a Bobcat defense that ranked 25^th in NCAA Division II in goals-against average and sixth in shutout percentage on the season. Frostburg State allowed multiple goals in a game just three times this season and had 12 shutout performances. She was the MEC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 24.

Hansen, a graduate student and defender, shared Defensive Player of the Year honors with Dennis after scoring 12 points from her defensive position during the 2022 season. She finished the year with five goals and two assists – including one game-winning goal. As a team, Charleston’s defense had four shutouts on the season.

Ikezoe, a freshman center midfielder for Davis & Elkins, was voted the MEC Freshman of the Year after scoring six goals and passing out four assists during her first season with the Senators. She finished the year with 16 points in 17 games, while also recording a .610 shot-on-goal average (25 shots on goal this season). She passed out a career-high two assists in her debut against Salem University back in September.

Parker, in his 21^st year at Frostburg State, led the Bobcats to the MEC North Division Title with a 16-1-1 overall record (14-1-1 MEC) during the 2022 season. The Bobcats jumped into the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 Poll back on Sept. 28 and currently rank 22^nd in the nation. Frostburg also ended the year on a six-game winning streak and have an impressive 8-0 record at home this season.

In addition, the Mountain East Conference also announced its 2022 All-Conference and All-Freshman teams on Tuesday afternoon (below). The MEC all-conference teams and yearly award winners are selected following a vote of the league’s head coaches.