No. 6 Soccer has six recognized in SEC postseason awards

Ben Breitbach November 3, 2019

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sixth-ranked Arkansas Soccer had six Razorbacks recognized by the SEC coaches in the postseason awards for their play this season. Head coach Colby Hale was also named the SEC Coach of the Year, leading the squad to its first conference title and the highest ranking in the United Soccer Coaches poll in program history.

Haley VanFossen and Anna Podojil made program history, becoming the first Razorbacks to win SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, respectively.

Parker Goins and Taylor Malham joined Podojil and VanFossen on the All-SEC First Team. It’s just the second time in school history that Arkansas has put four on the first team in the same season, with the other coming in 1993.

VanFossen became just the third Razorback (Denise Brown and Honey Marsh – 1993, ’94) in program history to be named All-SEC First Team in back-to-back seasons, while Podojil, Malham and Goins were tabbed to the First Team for the first time of their careers. Goins was also named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-Freshman Team during her rookie campaign in 2017.

Bryana Hunter and Katie Lund were also named to the All-SEC Second Team, anchoring a defense that has the conference’s best goals-against-average (0.376) this season.

Season Highlights

>> After tearing her ACL last season, Goins has knocked in nine goals and has 27 points this season, which ranks second on the team.

>> Malham is averaging almost 20 points per season as a junior and has dished out nine assists in each of the last two seasons.

>> Podojil is the top-scoring freshman in the SEC with 12 goals this season, ranking second among all players in the conference.

>> VanFossen has notched a goal and an assist in 2019 as a defender and helped anchor a defense that’s put together 11 shutouts.

>> In her sophomore season Hunter has played the most minutes among all Arkansas field players and put in three goals this year.

>> Lund leads the conference this year with the best save percentage (.881) and goals-against-average (.393) in the SEC. She is also tied for the most shutouts in a single season in Razorback history.