Sioux Falls shows up strong in WPSL Post Season awards
Sioux Falls City FC had an unbeaten regular season and won a third successive Franchise of the Year award in the Northern Conference. Goalkeeper Cambell Fischer and forward Mia Mullenmeister won defensive and offensive players of the year in the conference. Fischer comes from the Sioux Falls metro and plays at the University of South Dakota. Mullenmeister, from the home of the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD is playing further afield at Utah State.
They were joined by team mates Jordan Tenpas (From Orange County, California and now playing at Washburn University, having transferred from Minot State) and Katharina Oelschlager (From Nordrhein-Westfalen in Germany and playing at Florida Gulf Coast) as All Region selections.
That XI also sees a hat trick of three-time selections from the University of Minnesota and the Twin Cities metro, in Paige Kalal (MN Thunder), Molly Fiedler and Khyah Harper (Salvo). Notre Dame players Olivia Bohl and Izzy Engle (Both also from the Twin Cities metro and Thunder), Jordyn Jeffers and Avery Murdzek (Both Wisconsinites for St Croix Legacy) round out the selection. Jeffers plays for Ball State and Murdzek plays for South Dakota State.
Duong and Parten the MVPs in the Post Season awards
The USL W League and UPSL leagues have announced their postseason awards this week, led by Katie Duong, who was named Heartland Conference Player of the Year. It is the latest and last award in the glittering pre-professional stage of her career. Having been drafted in the fourth round by her hometown Portland Thorns in NWSL this year, she has been named to the inaugural roster of DC Power, the Washington club in the other Division 1 league, USL Super League. This last regular season, Duong scored 9 times in 10 starts.
In the UPSL, Berit Parten of NOSC Blast was named Midwest West Conference Most Valuable Player ahead of her freshman season at the University of Iowa, with a Golden Boot worthy 20 goals. She leads the line for the First Team selections with Aurora 2's Ava Westlund (also formerly of NOSC). The midfield is composed of players from four different clubs in Anna Tobias from Superior City, Ayah Makled from Aurora, Mehjan Przybilla from NOSC and Minnesota TwinStars' Ryane Cash. The defensive selections are GK Lauren McAlpine, Ruthie Gyasi and Julia Freed from NOSC, Aurora's Kiera Laney and Gwendolyn Lilly from Superior City. The Coach of the Year is NOSC's Josh Okoampa.
The second team sees St Croix Legacy's Alena Miller in goal, backed by a diverse defense: Sydney Kubes of Northern Tide, Lili Wade of Granite City, Bailey Dodds of Aurora and Caroline Lauinger of NOSC. The midfield selections are Luka Johnson of Aurora, Lili Linquist of Tide, Emilia McGiffert of Superior City and Nora Helvig of NOSC. The line is lead by Agatha Nimene of TwinStars and Mandy Elton of Aurora.
Stay tuned to this site for coverage of the inaugural USL Super League season and other women's professional football.