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Soccer Celebrates 2009 Season At Awards Banquet

Feb 8, 2010 by Georgia Sports Communications

ATHENS, Ga. -— The Georgia soccer team held its annual awards banquet on Jan. 31, recognizing the individual and team accomplishments of the 2009 season and honoring the program’s eight seniors.

Head coach Patrick Baker announced the team awards, voted on by the players:

Sportsmanship Award: Mary Ricker

Heart & Soul Award: Michelle Betos

Most Improved: Jordan Young

Coaches Award: Lauren Glancy

Newcomer of the Year: Laura Eddy

Most Valuable Defensive Player: Michelle Betos

Most Valuable Offensive Player: Carrie Patterson

Most Valuable Player: Carrie Patterson

“This was a great way to wrap up my career here at Georgia,” Patterson said. “I’m so proud of all my teammates for the awards they received and I’m more than honored to have received MVP. It means a lot knowing that it was voted on by my teammates and that they thought I deserved the award. There are so many good players on this team and I know Georgia Soccer has a lot of success ahead.”

“Our whole team is full of very talented players – especially my fellow freshmen teammates who all had great seasons,” added Eddy. “I’m honored that many of my teammates believed that I was the newcomer of the year, when any of the other freshmen could have also been voted for. The whole team, and the defense mainly, were the reason that my freshmen season went so well, so I only have them to thank.”

Baker and the Bulldogs recognized Georgia’s accomplishments on the field this past season as they posted a 15-6-1 overall record and a trip to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Individually, Eddy, Patterson, and Jamie Pollock were named to the NSCAA All-South Region team while Eddy was honored by the same organization as a repeat high school All-America for her play during the spring of 2009.

Eddy received SEC Freshman of the Year honors, in addition to her selection to the SEC All-Freshman team and second team All-SEC. Joining Eddy on the All-Freshman team was Susannah Dennis, while Patterson garnered first team All-SEC recognition.

“Carrie became the first Georgia soccer player, the fourth SEC soccer player and the 29th University of Georgia athlete to be named First Team All-SEC all four years of her career,” said Baker. “That shows a tremendous amount of consistency at the highest level and we are very proud of her accomplishments.”

In the conference’s weekly honors, Patterson raked in Offensive Player of the Week on Aug. 24, which was followed by Rebekah Perry’s Freshman of the Week award on Aug. 31 and Betos’ Defensive Player honors Oct. 5.

Baker also recognized the team’s academic accomplishments, including the 18 Georgia players included on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Georgia was the recipient of the NSCAA Team Academic Award, while senior Lindsay Stein was honored for posting the highest GPA of the academic year with a 4.0.

“We are as excited about the academic achievements of our team, as we are the soccer achievements,” Baker said. “Lindsay has been a wonderful student-athlete over the past four years and the last two terms she achieved perfection with back-to-back 4.0 GPA’s. She gained admittance into Colorado State’s Vet School and we are very excited about her future in this field.”

Finally, Patterson was recognized at the banquet for her selection in the recent Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) draft, as she was taken with the 40th overall pick by Philadelphia before being traded to her hometown Atlanta Dream.

The group of eight seniors – Michelle Betos, Natalie Farley, Lauren Glancy, Leslie McConnell, Carrie Patterson, Mary Ricker, Lindsay Stein, and Olivia West – will leave Georgia having made significant contributions to the program and its future. The class entered as UGA’s first top-10 ranked group before helping the squad to the best season in history with an 18-4-2 mark in 2007.

The team posted back-to-back appearances in the SEC Tournament championship game in 2007 and 2008, then the group started its senior season in 2009 by going undefeated in non-conference play and grabbing the team’s first ever top-10 national ranking. The class led Georgia to three straight NCAA Tournaments, doing so for the first time in history.

“This collection of young ladies came to the University of Georgia when a number of other young ladies wouldn’t,” said Baker. “They believed we could create something very special here and have made Georgia Soccer into what is today. I can’t thank them enough for everything they have done on and off the field – they leave as the most decorated class in Georgia Soccer history.”

The Bulldogs will be looking for a fourth trip in 2010, and will begin spring play with matches set against Florida State, South Carolina, Nebraska, Furman, Tennessee, and the U-20 Mexican National Team.