Nov. 2, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky women’s soccer standout Arin Gilliland was named the 2014 Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, it was announced by the conference office on Sunday afternoon. Gilliland’s honor is one of five total All-SEC accolades won by the Wildcats, as Jade Klump, Taylor Braun and Courtney Raetzman all took home All-SEC honors in addition to Gilliland.
Gilliland in addition to being named the conference’s defensive player of the year was named First Team All-SEC for the third-straight year running. Both junior midfielder Courtney Raetzman and sophomore forward Jade Klump were named Second Team All-SEC, while goalkeeper Taylor Braun was named to the 2014 SEC All-Freshman Team.
This season marks the second year in a row that four different UK players have been named to the All-SEC teams. Raetzman and Gilliland were both All-SEC in 2013 and 2012, marking a three-straight year stretch for those two players.
Gilliland has been nothing short of flawless this season since moving to the back line for the Wildcats this season, as the Wildcats are 6-0-0 since her move from the front to the back line, including five shutouts and wins over three different ranked opponents. The senior has six goals and eight assists this year, for a total of 20 points.
In addition to her 20 points, Gilliland in the meantime has also set the school record for shots with 267 and counting with more games remaining in her career. The Lexington, Ky., native will go down as the greatest player in the University of Kentucky women’s soccer program, and the only two-time All-American in program history. Gilliland in the summer of 2014 was the winner of the Honda Inspiration Award, the first-ever soccer player to win the prestigious award.
Jade Klump is the Wildcats leading scorer and earned her first-career All-SEC honor on Sunday afternoon, as she was named Second Team All-SEC. Klump after scoring just one goal a season ago, has rebounded with a career-defining season, as she has tallied eight goals this season and one assist on 36 shots. Klump tallied a game-winning goal this season and has one of the highest shot-on-goal percentages in the SEC, at over .600. The Pacific, Mo., native has started every SEC match this season.
Courtney Raetzman for the third-year running earned All-SEC honors as the Elk Grove, Ill., native was named Second Team All-SEC for the second-straight year. In Raetzman’s opening season in Lexington, the midfielder was named SEC All-Freshman. Every year Raetzman has been in Kentucky, she has won All-SEC honors.
After major knee surgery last season and missing all of the 2013 SEC season, Raetzman has rebounded in a big way this season, scoring six goals and tallying one assist. Raetzman scored the season-changing goal against No. 24 South Carolina as the Wildcats picked up their first signature win of the 2014 season in a 1-0 win over the Gamecocks. Always a steady, scrappy and reliable player in the middle of the pitch, Raetzman has started every single match of her career.
The final honor for the Wildcats went to freshman Taylor Braun, who has been named to the SEC All-Freshman Team. Braun has led Kentucky to the SEC’s lowest goals against average and goals allowed on the season, as the Colleyville, Texas, native has allowed just eight goals in conference play this season and a season-low GAA of 0.72, a new SEC program record for GAA.
Braun last match set a new program record, as she went 462 minutes without allowing a goal, a stretch of time spanning six-straight matches which included wins over No. 24 South Carolina, No. 5/4 Florida and No. 22 Georgia.
Kentucky opens the SEC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon in quarterfinal action against the No. 6 seeded Auburn Tigers. The Wildcats will face the Tigers at 3:30 p.m. ET and the match will be televised live on the SEC Network from the Orange Beach SportsPlex in Orange Beach, Ala.
First Team All-SEC
Forward: Bianca Brinson, Texas A&M
Forward: Simone Charley, Vanderbilt
Forward: Savannah Jordan, Florida
Forward: Annie Kunz, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Kaysie Clark, Missouri
Midfielder: Shea Groom, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Gabby Seiler, Georgia
Midfielder: Havana Solaun, Florida
Defender: Tessa Andujar, Florida
Defender: Arin Gilliland, Kentucky
Defender: Taylor Leach, South Carolina
Defender: Meghan Streight, Texas A&M
Defender: Christen Westphal, Florida
Goalkeeper: Sabrina D’Angelo, South Carolina
Second Team All-SEC
Forward: Marion Crowder, Georgia
Forward: Jade Klump, Kentucky
Forward: Savannah McCaskill, South Carolina
Forward: Laura Lee Smith, Alabama
Midfielder: Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Courtney Raetzman, Kentucky
Midfielder: Casie Ramsier, Auburn
Midfielder: Reagan Russell, Missouri
Midfielder: Merel van Dongen, Alabama
Defender: Janae Cousineau, Texas A&M
Defender: Claire Falknor, Florida
Defender: Kala Faulkner, Auburn
Defender: Candace Johnson, Missouri
Goalkeeper: Emily Rusk, Alabama
All-Freshman Team
Carlyn Baldwin, Tennessee
Jorian Baucom, LSU
Taylor Braun, Kentucky
Kaitlyn Clark, Missouri
Kristen Dodson, Auburn
Mallory Eubanks, Mississippi State
Kelsey Killean, Georgia
Savannah McCaskill, South Carolina
McKayla Paulson, Texas A&M
Lydia Simmons, Vanderbilt
Alexis Urch, LSU
Coach of the Year
G Guerrieri, Texas A&M
Offensive Player of the Year
Shea Groom, Texas A&M
Defensive Player of the Year
Arin Gilliland, Kentucky
Freshman of the Year
Savannah McCaskill, South Carolina
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Laura Lee Smith, Alabama
For continuing coverage of UK women’s soccer, log on to UKathletics.com.
