2022 D3soccer.com Women's All-America teams

(l. to r.) Forward of the Year Emma Sweitzer, Midfielder of the Year Breukelen Woodard, Defender of the Year Rachel Legg and Goalkeeper of the Year Claire Wolgast. Photos (l. to r.): Misericordia Athletics, Johns Hopkins Athletics, Allen Howard/Carnegie Mellon Athletics, Matt Milless/Skidmore Athletics

The 2022 season has long since disappeared from the rearview mirror, and finally the twelfth D3soccer.com All-America teams are ready for release. The women’s teams were chosen by D3soccer.com staff informed by analytics, input from Division III soccer coaches, other knowledgeable sources, and our own viewing. From approximately eleven thousand young women to appear in at least one contest during the 2022 season, we started with a pool of nearly five hundred candidates based primarily on conference recognition. From this pool of players, a “short list” of about one hundred candidates were chosen for All-American consideration, and our teams were selected from that elite group.

Thirty-three players representing twenty-three institutions—three for the first time (Simpson, Skidmore and Vassar)—and fifteen different conferences have been named to the three All-America teams. Eight of this year's honorees repeat from last season, including one three-time All-American: Case Western Reserve's Anika Washburn. In an impressive example of Division III student-athlete philosophy, nine of the thirty-three players were also named to the CSC (formerly CoSIDA) 2022 Academic All-America NCAA Division III women’s soccer teams: Cabana, Cahill, Fasolino, Hall, McDonnell, Meyer, Sweitzer, Washburn and Wolgast.

Just over half the selections (17) are seniors, fifth-years or graduate students—a low number, especially given the extra year of eligibility. Similarly only six juniors were named, the fewest since the inaugural year of the awards in 2010. Underclassmen representation (10) is the highest ever in the 12-year history of the awards with eight sophomores matching 2012's high and an unprecedented two first-years adding to just three previous selections. Moreover, this is the first time that a first-year—Johns Hopkins' Annie Isphording—has landed on the first (or second) team.

For just the third time, two of our Players of the Year are juniors. They are joined by a senior and graduate student. And for just the second time only one Player of the Year comes from a Final Four participant. That player—Breukelen Woodard—gives Johns Hopkins their fifth player of the year honor, third most behind Messiah and William Smith with seven each.

The D3soccer.com Forward of the Year is Misericordia junior Emma Sweitzer. Her 24 goals and 64 points broke program records that she set the prior season and ranked 7th (tie) and 2nd (tie) in the nation, respectively. Not only a scoring threat, Sweitzer also set-up six different teammates for scores for a total of 16 assists, third most nationally (tie). She scored or assisted on the game's first goal on 10 occasions as the spearhead of an offense that averaged 4.43 goals per game, the third most potent attack in Division III. Sweitzer helped the Cougars to a 21-1-1 record, the MAC Freedom Conference title, an NCAA Tournament run to the Elite 8, and a top three national ranking from start to finish. She has been recognized as the conference Offensive Player of the Year, the United Soccer Coaches' national Player of the Year and a CSC (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-American.

Graduate student Breukelen Woodard of National Champion Johns Hopkins is the D3soccer.com Midfielder of the Year. Woodard scored 4:21 into her debut with the Blue Jays in the season opener and didn't stop scoring until she had helped the program claim its first national title. Not only did she get on the score sheet with a goal or an assist in 19 of 25 games, the attacking midfielder netted the game's first goal ten times to set the tone for an offense that averaged 3.96 goals per game (9th nationally) and scored a program-record 99 goals. Her team-leading 21 goals and 47 points ranked 1st (tie) and 2nd (tie) nationally among midfielders. In the NCAA Tournament, Woodard tallied 7 goals and 1 assist, including overtime game-tying and game-winning goals in the Sweet 16, both goals against co-favorite Misericordia in the Elite 8, and opening goals in both Final Four games.

Carnegie Mellon senior Rachel Legg has earned the D3soccer.com Defender of the Year award. Legg anchored a stingy backline that only allowed opponents an average of 6.2 shots per game and 2.7 shots on goal per game which ranked 13th (tie) and 8th (tie) nationally. Those numbers are even more impressive given Carnegie Mellon played one the toughest schedules in Division III. Among teams with Strength-of-Schedules over .600, the Tartan defense allowed the fewest shots per game and second fewest shots on target per outing. After a season-opening road loss to William Smith, Legg and company went on a 14-game unbeaten streak that included four 1-0 shutout victories in the tough UAA. The centerback was honored as the UAA Defensive Player of the Year and named a United Soccer Coaches' All-American.

The Goalkeeper of the Year award belongs to Skidmore junior Claire Wolgast. Her outstanding .923 save percentage ranked third in the nation and best among teams with a .550 or better strength-of-schedule. Given she was kept busier than most top keepers, facing on average 13 shots a game of which seven were on target, Wolgast deserves much of the credit for the Thoroughbreds' respectable .54 goals against average. Never did she shine more than against perennial heavyweight William Smith, repelling 14 of 15 shots on frame to help earn Skidmore a 1-1 tie and break a 12-game losing streak to their Liberty League adversary. Rival coaches voted Wolgast the top goalkeeper in the conference and the United Soccer Coaches named her as the best netminder in Region III to go along with Co-SIDA Academic All-American honors.

The D3soccer.com women’s Coach of the Year is national champion Dan Weiler of Johns Hopkins.  He is our third repeat honoree and first to win the award with two different teams, having also been honored as Christopher Newport's head coach in 2018. In his second season (third year) guiding the Blue Jays, Weiler took a perennial heavyweight that couldn't get over the hump (just one Final Four from 15 straight tournament appearances) and guided them to an undefeated championship season. From a squad of 16 new faces and 19 returning players, his starting lineup consistently contained six or seven transfers and freshmen. But the unfamiliarity with each other and the system didn't prevent an explosive opening week (17 goals from 11 different players). A pair of ties against two of the nation's top defenses the following week was a mere speed bump before embarking on a 12-week team-gelling tour de force: 21 straight wins, 78 goals for, 7 goals against, 16 shutouts with a conference title along the way and playing from behind for all of 21 seconds. A win in the program's first ever title game capped a 23-0-2 campaign.