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INDIANAPOLIS - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee sophomore Sarah Hagen has been named Horizon League Women's Soccer Player of the Year, while teammate Helen Steinhauser has been named Newcomer of the Year. UWM's Mike Moynihan shares Coach of the Year honors with Wright State University general Patrick Ferguson.
Hagen earns Milwaukee's first Player of the Year award since 2001 (Erin Blaedow) and sixth overall. The forward guided her Panther squad to a 10th straight regular-season title with a conference record of 8-0-0. She paced the League in shots (5.50), points (2.39) and goals per game (1.06). During the 2009 season, Hagen scored in nine straight matches, tying the 12th-longest streak in NCAA history. The Appleton, Wis., native, collected five Horizon League Player of the Week awards this season and has eight in her career, both of which are new League records.
Steinhauser becomes the second consecutive UWM player to earn Newcomer of the Year accolades (Hagen) and fourth overall. The Ann Arbor, Mich., native, started all but one game for the League-undefeated Panthers, totaling four overall points on the season.
Moynihan claims a share of his fourth-straight Coach of the Year award and League-record eighth overall. The Milwaukee figurehead becomes the first coach in conference history to win eight League games and will enter the 2009 conference championship with the No. 1 seed, having done so nine times in the past 10 seasons.
Ferguson takes home his first career Coach of the Year laurel and Wright State's second overall (1999). He led the Raiders to their best conference record (6-2-0) and highest League tournament seed in 10 years (No. 2). Wright State's defense ranked No. 1 in the conference this year, allowing a mere 0.79 goals per game while shutting out nine teams.
Nine other field players and a goalkeeper join Hagen as first-team honorees. Milwaukee placed two additional players on the first team in senior Kate Megna, and junior Sarah Talbert. Wright State notched three first-team members in junior Jen Agueci, sophomore Bekah Bonny and junior goal keeper Meghan Hackerson. Loyola University Chicago was the only other team with multiple honorees in seniors Julie Colholf and Cynthia Morote-Ariza. Butler senior Molly Kruger, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay junior Chelsea Lyons and Valparaiso University Luisa Desario rounded out the first team.