PHILADELPHIA – For the first time in program history, four players from the University of Pennsylvania women's soccer team garnered United Soccer Coaches All-East Region distinction, the office announced on Monday night.
Camillia Nwokedi was named to the first team becoming just the third to do so in program history, while Kitty Qu, Emily Sands and Allie Trzaska were all second-team selections, just the second time that three players earned second-team honors and first since 2011.
Nwokedi continues to rake in the postseason accolades and adds her first-team honors to her Defender of the Year Award and first-team distinction from the Ivy League. She helped anchor one of the best defenses in not only the league, but in all of Division I. This iteration of the Penn defense became one of the best all-time, allowing just five goals – the fewest in program history – in 16 games and led the nation in goals-against average (0.304), save percentage (0.924) and tied for the best shutout percentage (0.750). Nwokedi started 15 games at center back, providing a level of skill and athleticism that made it difficult for opponents to get shots off against the Quakers, let alone score against them. She is just the third to earn a first-team All-Region nod, and first since 2013.
Another integral part to Penn's defensive success was Qu. This is the junior keeper's second All-Region award after garnering third-team honors a season ago. Qu logged 1,280 minutes in between the pipes, allowing just five goals while securing nine solo shutouts and combining with other keepers for two more clean sheets. Her season will go down as the best in program history, setting records for save percentage and goals-against average, in addition to breaking the career solo shutout record with 19. For the second straight season, Qu was named a first-team All-Ivy League keeper and was second in the nation in GAA and fourth in save percentage.
It is no secret that Penn suffocated teams with its defensive prowess, but the Quakers' offense didn't disappoint, either, and Sands led that charge. She finished with eight goals and a pair of assists, totaling a team-high 18 points. Most impressive, though, was her ability to provide some of the more meaningful goals for the co-Ivy League champions; the Sandstorm tucked away seven match winners, the most in the Ivy League and tied for the third-most in the nation. During a 5-1-1 Ivy campaign, Sands broke through with the go-ahead goals against Cornell, Columbia and Yale – a two-goal performance that included the winner in the final 10 minutes. During that run, she also casually added a walk-off winner with 52 seconds left in the second overtime against Lehigh. Sands was a third-team All-Region pick during her freshman season and was another first-team All-Ivy selection this year.
Trzaska served as a connecting link between the defense and the offense, locking down the middle of the field and delivering scoring opportunities on a silver platter. In addition to being a scrappy cog and frequently disrupting other teams' momentum, the senior led Penn with seven assists – the seventh-most in program history – and a goal, the game-sealing tally against Cornell. She was second in the Ivy League in assists, providing maybe the most crucial of the season when lofting a ball in behind for Sasha Stephens' game winner that clinched a share of the Ivy title against Brown. Trzaska became only the seventh Quaker to earn All-Ivy honors all four seasons with her inclusion on the second team a few weeks ago.
Penn wrapped up the season at 13-2-1 and 5-1-1 in Ivy competition, with the only losses coming to ranked opponents – North Carolina State and at Princeton – and with a share of the Ivy title. The Quakers only trailed twice all season, went 7-1 away from Rhodes Field and with 13 wins, the second-highest total in a year. Additionally, Penn's two losses are the second-fewest ever, and its 12-game unbeaten streak matched the longest all-time.
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