Nov. 4, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Junior Arin Gilliland was appointed to the All-Southeastern Conference First Team for the second season in a row, headlining four University of Kentucky women’s soccer players to earn conference selections, with Cara Ledman, Stuart Pope and Zoe Swift all being selected All-SEC recipients, it was announced by the conference office on Monday morning.
The four players placed on All-SEC teams ties a program best, that was set back in 1995, 98, 99. It’s the first time in 14 years Kentucky has had four players named to All-SEC postseason teams.
“These awards are great for these individuals, but like I have said for a long time, these awards come as a result of team success,” UK head coach Jon Lipsitz said. “All of these players have come from different positions, and it says a lot about our program and its philosophies. If you come in, work hard and commit yourself to the team, you will succeed. I am very proud of them and the team as well.”
In addition to Gilliland being placed on the first team, sophomore Cara Ledman and junior Stuart Pope were named All-SEC Second Team, with Naperville, Ill., native Zoe Swift being selected to the All-SEC Freshman Team.
Gilliland becomes the first player at Kentucky since Elizabeth Ramsey to be named to the first team back-to-back seasons back in 2002-03. The Lexington, Ky., native becomes just the fifth player in the program’s history to be named to the first team two times in her career with the promotion, as well.
Gilliland scored a team-high 31 points in 2013, collecting 11 goals and nine assists in the regular season, both team highs as well. Gilliland recorded two hat tricks on the season in conference play, scoring three times in Kentucky’s 4-1 win over Tennessee, and also collecting three goals in the Wildcats’ 4-2 win at Alabama later in the month of October.
“This is such an honor for me to represent the University of Kentucky this way,” Gilliland said. “Having said that, I couldn’t have done this without the help of my team and the great coaching staff and administration that we have here at UK. This recognition means a lot to me, and the team, but we also have to realize our season isn’t over yet. We have a lot of goals and this was just one of them.”
Ledman earns her first-career honor by being placed on the second team. Ledman played and started in all 19 regular season games at left back for the Wildcats, scoring seven points on two goals and three assists throughout the season.
The Brentwood, Tenn., native played over 1,700 minutes during the regular season, trailing only freshman Kaitlin Miller in that category. Ledman, a converted forward, tallied 16 shots and took a handful of corner kicks on the year for UK.
“It’s an incredibly honor to be named to the Second Team of such a competitive and talented conference. I couldn’t have done any of this without my amazing teammates and coaching staff that push me every single day. Also, I want to thank Michelle Rayner, who has helped me grow so much as a defender the last two years as the leader of our backline.”
Pope also earns her first-career SEC honor with the second team selection, as the junior from Fayetteville, Ga., becomes Kentucky’s first midfielder to be placed on an All-SEC team since Kelsey Hunyadi in 2011. Pope was also named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District Two Team on Saturday afternoon, as she has a 3.995 GPA in Equine Sciences.
Pope led the team in goals for the majority of the season, scoring 10 goals and sprinkling in seven assists in 2013. Pope scored a team-high five game-winning goals, which is tied for fourth best in the SEC. The junior started all 18 games that she appeared in and took 39 shots with 20 of them being on goal.
“It’s very humbling to be chosen in a tough conference like this,” Pope said. “I couldn’t have done it without the help of my teammates and coaching staff. This reward means a lot to me and it’s not something I take for granted.”
Swift was named to the All-SEC Freshman Team after scoring eight goals and adding in five assists during the course of the year. Swift registered a hat trick in Kentucky’s win over Eastern Kentucky, as well as scoring in five other matches this season.
Swift finished one of the best regular seasons for a freshman in school history with 49 shots, 21 points and four game-winning goals, just two off the school record.
“This is a great accomplishment for me individually as a freshman, but this really is a team award,” Swift said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without the help of my teammates from the preseason all the way through to where we are now. I feel like I have grown up a lot thanks to them and I am thrilled to be named to the All-Freshman Team.”
UK will open the 2013 Southeastern Conference Tournament on Wednesday night against the No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels at 7:30 p.m. CT at the Orange Beach SportsPlex in Orange Beach, Ala.
The Wildcats finished the SEC regular season 7-4-0, and earned the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. Ole Miss will enter Wednesday’s quarterfinal match with a 7-3-1 SEC record and the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament.
Coach of the Year
G Guerrieri, Texas A&M
Offensive Player of the Year
Savannah Jordan, Florida
Defensive Player of the Year
Sabrina D’Angelo, South Carolina
Freshman of the Year
Savannah Jordan, Florida
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Rafaelle Souza, Ole Miss
First Team All-SEC
Forward: Arin Gilliland, Kentucky
Forward: Savannah Jordan, Florida
Forward:Rafaelle Souza, Ole Miss
Forward:Cheyna Williams, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Kaysie Clark, Missouri
Midfielder: Shea Groom, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Mandy McCalla, Ole Miss
Midfielder: Havana Solaun, Florida
Defender: Taylor Leach, South Carolina
Defender: Kala Faulkner, Auburn
Defender: Meghan Streight, Texas A&M
Defender: Christen Westphal, Florida
Goalkeeper: Sabrina D’Angelo, South Carolina
Second Team All-SEC
Forward: Caroline Brown, Tennessee
Forward: Summer Clarke, LSU
Forward: Pia Rijsdijk, Alabama
Forward: Elisabeth Sullivan, Mississippi St.
Midfielder: Ashleigh Ellenwood, Arkansas
Midfielder: Emma Fletcher, LSU
Midfielder: Kelley Monogue, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Stuart Pope, Kentucky
Defender: Torri Allen, Georgia
Defender: Leigh Edwards, Texas A&M
Defender: Cara Ledman, Kentucky
Defender: Megan Lee, LSU
Defender: Allie Sirna, Tennessee
Goalkeeper: Jordan Day, Texas A&M
All-Freshman Team
Pam Begić, Florida
Simone Charley, Vanderbilt
Summer Clarke, LSU
Marion Crowder, Georgia
Chelsea Drennan, South Carolina
Emma Fletcher, LSU
Gretchen Harknett, Ole Miss
Savannah Jordan, Florida
Liz Keester, Texas A&M
Casie Ramsier, Auburn
Zoe Swift, Kentucky
For continuing coverage of UK women’s soccer, log on to UKathletics.com.
