Women's Soccer News: 2011 WPSL ALL-PACIFIC CONFERENCE TEAM
Brittany Klein of the Orange County Waves named the 2011 Pacific Player Of The Year; three teammates join her on All-Pacific Team and San Diego SeaLions coach Jen Lalor-Neilsen is named Pacific Coach of the Year.
In the last in our series of conference awards, the Women's Premier Soccer League (WPSL) has announced the 2011 All-Pacific Conference Teams. Later today, the league will release the lineup for the 2011 All-WPSL Teams which will highlight the best of the best - from coast to coast, sea to shining sea - that the 2011 season had to offer. The 2011 WPSL Champion Orange County Waves (12-1-0) - who won the South Division title - were honored with four selections to the 2011 All-Pacific Teams which included two out of three individual awards.
The North Division champion Bay Area Breeze had three of their players selected to the All-Pacific Teams (including the Co-Goalkeeper Of The Year) while the San Diego SeaLions saw the same number, as well as top Coach honors.
Voting for the WPSL All-Conference awards is conducted by the league media relations staff and in accordance with the nominations (of up to four players) from the respective head coach and/or chief administrator of each member team.
PACIFIC COACH OF THE YEAR
JEN LALOR-NEILSEN (San Diego SeaLions)
The former U.S. Women's National Team & WUSA star has made just as great an impression on the coaching ranks, culminating in the most successful regular season for the San Diego SeaLions in recent memory.
"I am honored to have received the recognition/award. We were so successful this season for many reasons. I had great insight from my assistant coach Bo Nielsen. We have a great and passionate General Manager in Amie Becker. Our owner Scott Dreher makes this team and organization possible. Our team captains were instrumental all season and the players were absolutely committed all season. All of these factors contributed to one of the best seasons in SeaLions history and I am happy to have been a part of it," says Jen Lalor-Neilsen.
If it wasn't for the presence of the fully professional Orange County side in the South Division, the fully amateur San Diego side would have won hands down according to the game results from this past season. The San Dieho SeaLions beat the pro OC Waves and could very well have represented the Pac-Con in the 2011 WPSL Championship.
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PACIFIC COACH OF THE YEAR
JEN LALOR-NEILSEN (San Diego SeaLions)
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The San Diego SeaLions defeated North Division champs Bay Area twice this past season (exhibition on 5/22 & the Pac-Con Semifinal on 7/23) and gave the Waves their only loss of the season (1-0 W on 6/25). To top it all off, Lalor-Neilsen was also a selection to the WPSL Team Of The Week this season - as a player!
Coach Lalor-Neilsen is also the youth Director of Coaching for San Diego Football Academy.
PACIFIC PLAYER OF THE YEAR
MF BRITTANY KLEIN (Orange County Waves)
The former Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) All-Star & U.S. U-23 Women's National Team member was the key cog in the wheel of success that Orange County experienced this past season. While not the leading scorer for the Waves, Klein was the midfield architect - the link between a defense & offense that would muster an impressive +39 goal differential during the regular season.
The former Santa Clara star has built up a reputation as one of those players every team needs in their starting eleven to reach the next level of success: Klein proved that statement true for the Waves in 2011.
PACIFIC CO-GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR
GK CORI ALEXANDER (Bay Area Breeze)
GK SOPHIA PEREZ (Orange County Waves)
Alexander garners her second straight Pac-Con Goalkeeper Of The Year honor, but this year, the former WPS & U.S. U-23 shot-stopper has to share it with her "professional" compatriot in Sophia Perez. Alexander was the chief architect in seven shutouts for the 12-2-0 California Storm last season, and this year, was crucial down the stretch for the Breeze as the team allowed only one goal in their last five matches.
Perez is no stranger to Pac-Con individual recognitions, as she was named the 2008 Pacific Goalkeeper Of The Year for SD United. The former Mexican international was a force for the Waves in the post-season, allowing only two goals in four matches as well as stone-walling San Diego in penalty kicks (4-1) in the Pac-Con Final.
ALL-PACIFIC FIRST TEAM
F NICOLE WILCOX (Portland Rain S.C.)
F/MF JORDAN CARLBERG (North Bay F.C. Wave)
MF KIM YOKERS (Bay Area Breeze) *
MF ASHLIN YAHR (San Diego SeaLions)
MF BRITTANY KLEIN (Orange County Waves)
MF KATRIN OMARSDOTTIR (Orange County Waves)
MF/D EMMI LAWSON (North Bay F.C. Wave)
D LAUREN HALLAUER (Bay Area Breeze)
D SARAH DEVINE (San Diego SeaLions)
D DANI BOSIO (Orange County Waves) *
GK CORI ALEXANDER (Bay Area Breeze)
GK SOPHIA PEREZ (Orange County Waves)
* indicates Player Of The Year Finalist
ALL-PACIFIC SECOND TEAM
F JOCELYN CHARETTE (San Francisco Nighthawks)
F/D JOCELYN LECHE (North Bay F.C. Wave)
MF ROSIE TANTILLO (San Diego SeaLions)
MF MARISSA MYKINES (Spokane Shine)
MF EMILY SHIBATA (West Coast Wildkatz)
D ALLIE CUMMINS (Oregon Rush)
D KIKA TOULOUSE (Orange County Waves)
GK CRIS LEWIS (Portland Rain S.C.)
GK CHELSEA MCINTYRE (West Coast Wildkatz)
The Women's Premier Soccer League WPSL is a 60-plus team national league for the Summer 2011 season and is the largest women's soccer league in the world. The league is sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA) as an affiliate of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). The WPSL's mission is to provide the highest level of soccer in our effort to: bring affordable & quality family entertainment to the community; display positive role models for our youth; while, being a stepping stone for aspiring professional & international-level players.
The Women's Soccer editorial section is sponsored by the San Diego SeaLions. We deeply appreciate the SeaLions helping to offset the costs associated with this editorial coverage and want to acknowledge their tremendous support of women's soccer.
SeaLions one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a sixty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. For more information, please email Amie Becker
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