Upperclassmen Tabbed With All-NWC Honors
FOREST GROVE – Three seniors made the most of their final season in a Boxer uniform, while a junior also caught the coaches eye, earning selections to the 2012 All-Northwest Conference Women's Soccer Team, which was announced Thursday afternoon.
"We're lucky to have a wonderful group of quality players and leaders this year," said Head Coach Morgan Crabtree. "From the beginning, their efforts set the stage for success and fostered a positive play experience."
Brittany Hartmann (Sr., Portland, Ore.), Kaitlyn Harper (Sr., Oregon City, Ore.) and Sarah Tuffey (Sr., Valencia, Calif.) earned Second Team All-NWC honors in their final season, leading to the Boxers to a fifth place finish in conference with a 6-8-2 record, 8-8-4 overall. Kaeli Laxson (Jr., Nampa, Idaho) earned Honorable Mention All-NWC for her defensive efforts throughout the season.
Hartmann led the Boxers between the pipes ending the season with a 6-7-3 record and owning four of the six Boxer shutouts. She tallied 87 saves, which ranks fourth in the NWC. Hartmann also ranks sixth with her .789 saving percentage and seventh with a 1.32 goals against average. Hartmann collected a season-high 11 saves in season-opener against Redlands on Aug. 31.
Hartmann collected Northwest Conference Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on two separate occasions. Her first honor came for the week of Sept. 3-9 for her shutout performances against Northwest Christian and Oregon Tech. Over the two matches, Hartmann recorded 11 saves. Her second honor was for her performance during the week of Oct. 22-28. Hartmann collected her sixth victory in 2-1 win over Linfield, tallying seven saves.
"Brittany had a fantastic senior year, making big saves in big games, and earning Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week on two separate occasions," said Head Coach Morgan Crabtree. "She has bee a force in goal for us from day one and her efforts will be truly missed."
Harper was a significant piece to the Boxer's offense, starting 18 matches at midfield. She scored three goals on 12 shots on goal. Two of her goals were game-winners. Her first game-winner was scored on Sept. 12 against George Fox. Her second came on Oct. 28 to take out Linfield. Harper recorded three assists, ranking 10th in the conference. Harper scored her first goal of the season on Aug. 31 to help the Boxers end in a 2-2 draw with Redlands.
"Kaitlyn has been the heart and soul of this team for the past three years," said Crabtree. "Her leadership in the middle of the park is what kept our collective engine running. It is wonderful to see her get recognized for her efforts."
Tuffey also was a great force at the midfield position starting 17 matches for the season. Tuffey leads the team with four goals along with McKenna Davidson (Fr., Kailua, Hawaii) and 11 total points. Tuffey led the team with 31 shots and 12 shots on goals with one game-winner. She ranks tied for 10th with her three assists.
Tuffey scored her first goal of the season on Sept. 2 in 2-0 shutout over Whittier. Her second came on Oct. 6 in 2-1 overtime win against Willamette. Her third goal came on the Boxers senior day (Oct. 28) to help the Boxers beat Linfield 2-1. Tuffey's final goal of the season was off a penalty kick in 2-2 draw with Willamette (Nov. 3).
"Sarah really matured into an impact player for us this year," said Crabtree. "She was involved in virtually every attacking effort, so it is no surprise that she the team in points. An honor very well deserve and a long time coming for her."
Laxson held down the defense in the backfield starting in 19 matches at defender. She played a season-high 110 minutes on two occasions (Aug. 31 & Sept. 16). Laxson played a total of 1531 minutes, second most on the team.
"Kaeli has grown into a confident, composed, and determined defender for us," Crabtree said. "She has a strong desire to succeed and to see her teammates succeed. We look forward to having Kaeli back again next year, leading the charge."
The full All-Northwest Conference teams can be viewed at http://www.nwcsports.com/sports/wsoc/2012-13/releases/WSOC_ALL_NWC_2012
