UT Martin’s Rianna Jarrett was named the 2014 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year while Southeast Missouri’s Kindra Lierz was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Lierz also earned Freshman of the Year honors while Jacksonville State’s Neil Macdonald was selected as the Coach of the Year.
Jarrett, a native of Wexford, Ireland, leads the league in shots (110), shots per game (5.79), points (38), points per game (2.00), goals (17) and goals per game (0.89). She currently ranks fourth in the nation in total goals while ranking ninth in points and seventh in goals per game. The All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer pick scored 12 goals in conference play this year. She has recorded two hat tricks so far this season to become just the second player in school history to accomplish that feat twice in a career. Jarrett is the first Skyhawk to earn OVC Offensive Player of the Year honors.
A freshman goalkeeper, Lierz finished the regular-season leading the league in goals-against average (0.69), shutouts (8) and shutouts per game (0.50). The Springfield, Mo., native saw action in 16 games this season, playing 1444:59 minutes in net. Five of her eight shutouts on the season came in OVC play. In addition to being named the Freshman of the Year, she earned First Team and All-Newcomer honors. She becomes just the third Redhawk to earn Freshman of the Year honors but first since Erin Shulman who won the award in 2011. It markes the sixth time a student-athlete from Southeast Missouri has earned Defensive Player of the Year honors. Lierz becomes the first person in league history to win Defensive Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season.
Macdonald earned his first OVC Coach of the Year honor after guiding his team to a 6-4 mark and a tournament berth for the first time since the 2005 season. The Gamecocks are the No. 5 seed and will be making their fourth appearance in the OVC Tournament. Jacksonville State ranks first in the league in goals (50), goals per game (2.63), assists (45) and assists per game (2.37). Macdonald becomes the first Gamecocks to earn Coach of the Year honors.
UT Martin had the most All-OVC First Team selections with three followed by Jacksonville State and Southeast Missouri with two picks each. Eastern Kentucky, Morehead State, Murray State and SIUE each had one selection. Joining Jarett and Lierz on the first team were: UT Martin senior midfielder Dominikia Conc (Maribor, Slovenia) and senior defender Amy Maksimowicz (Nashville, Tenn.); Jacksonville State redshirt junior midfielder Courtney Hurt (Huntsville, Ala.) and senior midfielder Jackie Rush (Trophy Club, Texas); Eastern Kentucky senior defender Paige Larkin (Cerritos, Calif.); Morehead State senior forward Jade Flory (Chambersburg, Pa.); Murray State senior forward Julie Mooney (St. Peters, Mo.) and Southeast Missouri sophomore forward Natasha Minor (De Pere, Wis.); and SIUE senior defender Samantha Jones (Florissant, Mo.).
Earning second team honors were: SIUE junior goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley (St. Charles, Mo.), junior midfielder Kayte Skirvan (Florissant, Mo.) and junior midfielder Cassidy Sherman (Algonquin, Ill.); Belmont senior midfielder Taylor Smith (Atlanta, Ga.) and senior defender Meredith Martin (Franklin, Tenn.); Southeast Missouri senior forward Breana Beine (St. Peters, Mo.) and sophomore defender Christina Rohde (St. Louis, Mo.); Austin Peay sophomore forward Giana Fabbro (Coquitlam, British Columbia); Eastern Illinois senior defender Meagan Radloff (West Chicago, Ill.); Morehead State junior defender Kelsey Gomez (Katy, Texas); and Murray State senior foward Pavlina Nepokojova (Prague, Czech Republic).
Eleven student-athletes make up the 2014 OVC All-Newcomer Team, which consists of freshman, redshirt freshman, transfers or other first-year players. In addition to Jarrett and Lierz, All-Newcomer selections include: Murray State freshman goalkeeper Shelby Haworth (Hilliard, Ohio) and freshman forward Harriet Withers (Murwilumbah, Australia); SIUE freshman midfielder/foward Emily Grahl (Washington, Mo.) and freshman Mariah Vollmer (Troy, Mo.); UT Martin freshman defender/midfielder Taylor Fry (Cynthia, Ky.); Belmont freshman forward Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas); Eastern Kentucky freshman forward Emmi Carroll (Cincinnati, Ohio); Jacksonville State sophomore defender/forward Chelsi Bender (Freehold, N.J.); and Southeast Missouri junior defender Valieria Jaramillo (Cali, Colombia).
2014 ALL-OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAMS
(As selected by OVC women’s soccer coaches and sports information directors)
FIRST TEAM
GK - Kindra Lierz, Southeast Missouri
F - Rianna Jarrett, UT Martin
F - Julie Mooney, Murray State
F - Natasha Minor, Southeast Missouri
F - Jade Flory, Morehead State
MF - Dominika Conc, UT Martin
MF - Courtney Hurt, Jacksonville State
MF - Jackie Rush, Jacksonville State
D - Samantha Jones, SIUE
D - Paige Larkin, Eastern Kentucky
D - Amy Maksimowicz, UT Martin
2014 OVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Rianna Jarrett, UT Martin
2014 OVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kindra Lierz, Southeast Missouri
2014 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Kindra Lierz, Southeast Missouri
2014 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Neil Macdonald, Jacksonville State
SECOND TEAM
GK - Jennifer Pelley, SIUE
F - Giana Fabbro, Austin Peay
F - Breana Beine, Southeast Missouri
F - Pavlina Nepokojova, Murray State
MF - Taylor Smith, Belmont
MF - Kayte Skrivan, SIUE
MF - Cassidy Sherman, SIUE
D - Kelsey Gomez, Morehead State
D - Meagan Radloff, Eastern Illinois
D - Meredith Martin, Belmont
D - Christina Rohde, Southeast Missouri
ALL-NEWCOMER
Rianna Jarrett, UT Martin
Emily Grahl, SIUE
Kindra Lierz, Southeast Missouri
Belicia Mendiola, Belmont
Shelby Haworth, Murray State
Harriet Withers, Murray State
Valeria Jaramillo, Southeast Missouri
Mariah Vollmer, SIUE
Chelsi Bender, Jacksonville State
Emmi Carroll, Eastern Kentucky
Taylor Fry, UT Martin