The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced the 2010 NSCAA/Performance Subaru NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer All-Region Teams on Thursday morning with Dominican University’s Liz Phipps (Bloomington, Ill.) landing on the Second Team and Adrienne Ryba (Roselle, Ill.) garnering Third Team honors.
“Being two of our three captains,” commented Jeff Halsema, the Stars’ head coach since 2006, “the honor is well-deserved. Liz and Adrienne made a commitment to our program to make us better, preparing not only themselves for each match, but also preparing their teammates.”
Phipps, a 2009 third team selection, was the anchor on the Stars’ stingy defense, a defense that posted a 0.61 goals against average with 12 shutouts. Almost more impressive were the seven assists that the Stars’ junior defender racked up.
“Liz is a pure competitor,” state Halsema. “Losing is never an option for her and therefore she took it upon herself to make our defense as solid as it was. She kept us organized and instilled her competitive attitude on every member of our backline.”
Ryba was the top offensive threat on the nation’s 26th-ranked scoring offense. She tallied 12 goals and 12 assists, leading the Stars in both categories, for a total of 36 points. A sophomore forward, Ryba ranked among the top twenty in the country in assists.
“Adrienne has a tremendous work rate,” said Halsema. “She is a special talent that makes those she plays with better, supported by the double-digit totals in both goals and assists… a true playmaker.”
Phipps, Ryba and the Stars concluded the program’s most successful season in program history with a 15-5-1 overall record, falling to the Aurora University Spartans in the 2010 Northern Athletics Conference (NAC) Tournament Championship match.
“It’s nice to see our girls get recognized for the season they put together,” said Halsema.
