Three Lawrence University players and head coach Lisa Sammons have been honored on the All-Midwest Conference women’s soccer team.
Sammons was named MWC Coach of the Year, and Mallory Koula (Appleton, Wis./Kimberly), Sarah Ehlinger (Wauwatosa, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) and Annie Kaiser (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) were all named to the all-conference team. Koula and Ehlinger were first-team selections, and Kaiser was a second-team pick.
Sammons, in her third season as the Vikings’ head coach, earned the coaching award after leading the Vikings to the Midwest Conference Tournament championship. Lawrence won the conference tournament for the first time since 2001 and played in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Vikings, who compiled a 9-9-1 overall record and a 7-2-1 mark in Midwest Conference play, defeated Lake Forest College 4-3 in the tournament semifinals and then beat top seed Carroll University 2-1 for the tournament title on the Pioneers’ home field.
Koula, a junior forward, piled up 19 goals and four assists for 42 points and was chosen for the first team for the second consecutive season. Koula led the league in points, points per game (2.21), goals and goals per game (1.00). She also finished second in the league with six game-winning goals.
Koula finished the season strong by scoring 11 goals in her final six games. She picked up hat tricks against Beloit College, Ripon College and Lake Forest.
Ehlinger, who was a second-team all-conference pick in 2007, 2008 and 2009, was chosen for the team all four years of her career. Ehlinger scored 10 goals and had a league-best 10 assists for 30 points this season. The senior forward had a league-high 0.53 assists per game.
Kaiser, a senior midfielder, was chosen for the all-conference team for the first time. Kaiser scored two goals and had two assists for six points.