2012 Season Banquet
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| 2012 Gustavus Women's Soccer |
After a snow storm came through Minnesota and cancelled our first attempt at a banquet back in December, we finally got the 2012 Banquet off the ground on Sunday February 17th at Charley's Restaurant and Lounge in Mankato. Nineteen girls from the team were joined by their families to celebrate and remember a great fall season. Coach Burnett-Kurie summed up our season highlights and marked some memorable moments for the players and their parents to share. We honored our five seniors again; Nikki Carlson, Maggie Lane, Tam Meuwissen, Kristin Moen and Jess Richert, forcing Jess to hug each of her coaches no less than three times in one evening.
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| Seniors (L-R): Maggie Lane, Kristin Moen, Tam Meuwissen, Nikki Carlson & Jess Richert |
We also awarded our 2012 awards, chosen by the team, for Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Top Newcomer, Most Improved and "Teach Me How to Gustie".
Top Newcomer: Brittany Chase, Freshman. This first year athlete may have come into preseason nervous and unsure, but after three days of testing she was the only player in the entire program to have ZERO points from fitness testing. She came in with knowledge and experience as a defender, but this coaching staff had other plans. We quickly threw her into drills as a forward, and using her size, skills and knowledge of the game she found her groove and was quick to find success. She scored three goals and had one assist this season with only potential for more! Need an outside back in a pinch? Not a problem! A quick run from the forward line and she played as if she had never left the position. For her versatility and skill, Brit Chase, the team has chosen you the 2012 Top Newcomer.
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| Sophomores (L-R): Caroline Olson, Karlye Smith, Heather Goff and Valerie Belanger |
Most Improved: Caroline Olson, Sophomore. This Gustie was a staple of hard work all season long. From the first preseason test to the last game of "Touch Post", it was evident she possessed the desire to improve and succeed. She pushed herself at every practice, challenged herself to play better, faster, quicker, and things started to improve. Her hands got softer, her feet got faster and she started consistently making saves she had not earlier in the season. Her teammates and coaches saw a steady improvement, along with an increase in her confidence to make difficult saves. This is why this years Most Improved Player goes to Caroline Olson.
"Teach Me How to Gustie": Maggie Lane, Senior. This award is given to the Gustie Women's Soccer player who is voted by her teammates to best embody everything it means to be a Gustie on the Women's Soccer team. Hard work, dedication, positive attitude, killer work ethic and someone who the team looks up to and relies on for moral support are a few of the attributes this special player possesses. This girl truly embodies what it means to be a Gustie and play for her teammates. This years winner is a player who constantly had a smile on her face, brought every ones work ethic to the next level and was a positive leader on and off the field. She also had two of our best goals this season, propelling the team to its first conference win against St. Benedict's. For her smile, her hard work and for teaching this entire team "how to Gustie", Maggie Lane we award you the inaugural "Teach Me How To Gustie" Award.
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| Senior Tam Meuwissen and Freshman Brittany Chase |
Offensive Player of the Year: Amanda Cartony, Junior. If you think about dangerous players, this girl would surely jump to the top of the list for our team, heck the entire MIAC. She has the skill and passion to be a game changer in every movement, every run, every touch on the ball. Her creativity on and off the ball develops plays, opens the field up and generates scoring opportunities for herself and her teammates. Our leading scorer with five goals and two assists, she led our offense with her technical skills, work ethic and knowledge of the game. She consistently brought the level of play of the those around her to new heights. She is a key player in our offense and for our team. She had two game winning goals this season, scoring twice at St. Mary's, the second to put us back in the lead after they tied it up, as well as the game-winning goal in a hard fought battle with Hamline. For all these reasons, it is obvious why the team has voted you, Amanda Cartony, Offensive Player of the Year.
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| Junior Amanda Cartony and Senior Nikki Carlson |
Defensive Player of the Year: Estee Berg, Junior. This defender was a force on the back-line all season long. She played consistent shut-down defense with her patient break-down and never give up mentality. Even if an opponent got by her, she would reappear back in front of them to make them beat her all over again. Tough as nails; a bloody mouth, a rolled ankle (or two), nothing could stop her from shutting down opponents. Patch up the cut, stop the bleeding, tape her ankle and throw her right back on the field, she didn't even flinch. Her speed makes her dangerous on both sides of the ball, often proving that the best defense is a good offense, she would join the attack, showing she was dynamic and hard to defend herself! Her work rate, team first mentality and coachability make her a valuable asset to this team. All of these things combined give you Estee Berg, the Defensive Player of the Year.
Team MVP: Jess Richert, Senior. It is no surprise this player was voted the 2012 Women's Soccer MVP. Her consistently stellar performances in the net this season kept this team in more than one game. The highlight reel of her saves is more than enough proof that she will lay everything on the line for her team, and literally lays out for them! Her performance in the Hamline game preserved our win, even when they threw eight forwards at us; her unbelievable saves in our Bethel game kept the score knotted at zero for nearly the entire 90 minutes giving us a fighting chance; and her aggressive play and full out extensions sent the Augsburg game into overtime. She is a fierce competitor, a stoic leader, and picks up the play of this team with just a stare. Her dedication, drive, desire to do more, high individual and team expectations and amazing antics will be sorely missed with her departure. Her unbelievable 1.54 GAA in 1523 minutes more than speaks for itself. Congratulations to this year's MVP, Jess Richert.
We would also like to give thanks to all those individuals behind the scenes who help our program continue to be so successful, including: Athletic Directors Tom Brown and Jared Phillips; Athletic Trainers Mitch Deets, Troy Banse, Mitch Bockenstedt, Matt Eberhardt, and Mara Riedell; Sports Information Directors Ethan Armstrong and Tyler Grey; Administrative Assistant Barb Rodning; Equipment Manager Wayne Norman; as well as our grounds keepers and game management staff.
