MIAC All-MIAC Release

WINONA, Minn. — For the second year in a row, Emma Schaefer (Roseville, Minn.) proved to be one of the most dangerous players on the field for the Saint Mary's University of Minnesota women's soccer team.
 
And for the second year in a row, Schaefer's talents did not go unnoticed.
 
Schaefer, who helped guide the Cardinals to a 6-12-0 overall record—including a 3-8-0 showing in conference play—was named to the All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference First-Team, the league office announced Thursday.
 
Schaefer—an honorable-mention All-MIAC pick a year ago—wasn't the only Cardinal to land post-season honors, as Caroline Blackwood (Norwalk, Ohio) earned honorable-mention All-MIAC honors for the third time in her four-year collegiate career.
 
Schaefer enjoyed a banner junior season, leading the team in goals with six—marking the second time in as many seasons she has netted six goals—while also adding an assist for 13 points. Schaefer, who boasted a pair of two-goal games this season—scoring twice vs. Martin Luther on Oct. 21 and twice vs. UW-Superior on Sept. 5—collected the game-winning goal in three of Saint Mary's six wins this season.
 
Blackwood closed out her career in a Cardinal uniform posting a team- and career-high six assists, while also adding one goal for eight points. Blackwood was not only one of just four players who started all 18 games for Saint Mary's this season, but the senior midfielder did not miss a game in her four-year collegiate career, appearing in all 72 Saint Mary's contests.
 
Augsburg's Marie Fitzgerald was named the MIAC's Offensive Player of the Year, while Tarynn Theilig of St. Thomas was the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Gustavus goalkeeper Ashley Becker earned MIAC Rookie of the Year honors, and the Gusties' Laura Burnett-Kurie earned Coach of the Year honors.
 
As part of the conference-wide sportsmanship initiative, the MIAC also announced the ninth annual All-MIAC Sportsmanship team for women's soccer, which included Saint Mary's Kelli Harstad (Hampton, Minn.)