Riding a high-octane offense to a 12-7 record and a second consecutive appearance in the conference championship match, the Concord Women’s Soccer team is well-represented in the 2009 WVIAC All-Conference balloting.
WVIAC coaches voted seven Mountain Lions as all-conference performers, led by 1st-Team players Gemma Nortcliffe and Katie Cuviello.
Kate Armentrout, Kelsey Ballard and Terri Donnelly made the 2nd Team.
Lindsey DeVaughn and Cassandra Fortino earned Honorable Mention consideration.
Gemma Nortcliffe earned her second consecutive 1st Team berth for a season in which she led the WVIAC, and was third in the nation, in Goals Per Game (1.40).
Her 3.00 Points Per Game also led the conference and was sixth-best in the nation.
Nortcliffe’s 21 goals and 45 points were second in the league. She was third in the WVIAC in Shots Per Game (4.67) and Game-Winning Goals (4). She ended with an impressive .300 shooting percentage.
Against Salem International University on October 8, Nortcliffe scored four goals, tying her for second in the nation for goals in a single game. Her nine points against the Tigers tied Nortcliffe for fourth in the country for single-game scoring.
The All-Region and All-America nominee was the WVIAC’s Player of the Week twice in 2009 (September 7 and November 2).
Katie Cuviello, one of only two Concord seniors, earned her second straight spot on the WVIA
C1st Team after ranking second in the league in Assists (10) and third in Assists Per game (.56).
She finished eighth in Points Per Game (1.22) and tied for 8th in total Points (22) and scored two game-winning goals.
Cuviello punctuated her college career with the game-clinching goal against Alderson-Broaddus in the first round of the conference tournament, and an assist in CU’s upset of top seed Davis & Elkins in the league semi-finals.
Kate Armentrout’s play at the midfield set the tone for Concord’s attack and earned her a 2nd Team All-WVIAC spot. The sophomore’s eight Assists were third in the conference, and she finished fourth in Assists Per Game (.47).
Armentrout scored five goals, including a clutch tally in the league semi-finals at D&E. Armentrout’s goal with only 1:14 remaining in regulation proved to be the difference in CU’s 3-2 victory.
Kelsey Ballard’s path to the 2nd Team included a nine-point performance against Mountain State University on September 29. The junior forward found the back of the net four times, tying for second in the nation for single-game goals. Her nine points tied for fourth best.
Ballard ranked fourth in the WVIAC in Goals (13), Goals Per Game (.76) and Points (30). Her 1.76 Points Per Game were the WVIAC’s fifth-best.
She scored a goal in the league semi-final at Davis & Elkins that broke a 1-1 tie.
The WVIAC named Ballard its Player of the Week on October 5.
Tenacious Terri Donnelly earned a 2nd Team spot as the anchor of Concord’s defense. The sophomore also contributed up front, with three goals and three assists, but her presence in the back made opponents think twice about trying to work through the middle of the pitch.
Case in point: Donnelly battled through injuries to stay in the regular-season match against West Virginia Wesleyan October 12. After a concussion in the second overtime forced her to the sidelines, the Bobcats attacked the Concord middle and got the game-winning goal in a 2-1 final.
As a “defensive defender” Cassandra Fortino didn’t put up big statistics. But she secured an Honorable Mention for her strong work in the back. While Donnelly and Danielle Pye locked down the middle, Fortino patrolled the sidelines. Her steady play and solid passing helped Concord get the ball out of its defensive third and propelled CU’s strong offense upfield.
Lindsey DeVaughn augmented the Mountain Lions’ offense with seven goals and one assist, earning an Honorable Mention spot. The junior played both forward and midfield, scoring two game-winning goals and converting on a robust 31.8% of her shots.
Among DeVaughn’s highlights was her clutch goal with 1:10 left in regulation at Alderson-Broaddus on September 4. The tally tied the game 2-2, and set the stage for Nortcliffe’s game-winner in overtime.
DeVaughn twice scored two goals in a game – against Ohio Valley on September 18 and Mountain State University on September 29.
Coach Carol Bonnes’ team loses only two seniors – Cuviello and midfielder Morgan Scott.
In 2009, Concord led the WVIAC – and ranked third in the nation -- in Goals Per Game (3.72).
The Mountain Lions were second in the league in Points Per Game (9.83) and Assists Per Game (2.39).
Complete WVIAC All-Conference report:
www.wviac.org/News/wsoc/2009/11/10/ws111009.asp