Friday night’s Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association Soccer Championship awards banquet saw four Tommies named ACAA All-Stars.
3rd year centre-back Kaleigh Roberts (Moncton, NB) and 4th year midfielder Leandra Upton (Fredericton, NB) were named 1st Team ACAA All-Stars, and 4th year midfielder Phoebe van der Meulen (Summerside, PE) and 5th year midfielder Louisa Hughes (Fredericton, NB) were named to the 2nd Team.
Roberts continues to shine for the Tommies, having been named an ACAA All-Star in each of her three years in the league. Head coach Michelle DeCourcey has nothing but the highest of praise for Roberts.
“In my opinion, Kaleigh is the top defender in our league,” said DeCourcey. “Her strength, speed and impeccable timing make her nearly impossible to get past. Despite being the perpetrator of countless key tackles in our defensive third, she is rarely called for a foul and has never been carded.”
Upton, much like Roberts, has been a key factor in the Tommies allowing a meager one goal per contest on the year. As well as winning countless aerial and 50/50 balls she also contributed with two goals on the year.
“Since her debut with the Tommies, Leandra has started in every game and served as an ultra-reliable defensive midfielder in each one,” said DeCourcey. “She is a workhorse with a no-quit attitude.”
Hughes has carved a niche in the midfield for the Tommies since she came home. One of the main components of the offence “Lou” is who the attack starts with. Adept at distributing the ball to her teammates, she leads the Tommies in assists on the year.
“Louisa is a skilled and solid centre midfielder, a switch point for our attack and a leader by example with her calm and consistent play,” DeCourcey had to say. “Her corner kicks are sheer beauty and have created countless scoring opportunities for her teammates this year.”
Van der Meulen has had a bounce back year after missing a large portion of last season. She has bounced back with three goals from her midfield position, while controlling the game and showing great flashes of skill with the ball.
“No one can push this crafty centre midfielder off a ball,” said DeCourcey. “She’s strong, determined and creative.”
The Tommies will open Championship play Saturday at 10:00am against the defending ACAA Champions, the MSVU Mystics. All games can be viewed at acaatv.ca.