Narrowing down the top five sophomore prospects in the Atlantic 10 was nearly impossible.

So we didn’t. We narrowed them down to six. Mark it down: these are your sophomore stars for 2010:

MF Colleen Williams, Dayton: She pulled off one of the toughest tasks for a hot shot freshman by fitting in with an already stout program and their mainstay stars. Her ability to distribute from the midfield made life easier for seniors Mandi Back and Lauren MacCormick and she didn’t rub anyone the wrong way despite her tenacity.

Life will be decidedly different with those two scorers having graduated, but Williams will lead the new-look team and likely improve on last year’s nine-assist, eight-goal year that earned her Rookie of the Year honors.

Katherine Boone

G Katherine Boone, Dayton: The Flyers finished atop the conference because of their balance on both sides of the ball. Dayton had the best defense in the Atlantic 10 and Boone was a major reason why.

With her technical ability and demeanor, she posted 13 shutouts and only allowed nine goals as the Flyers led the conference in both categories and Boone went on to achieve rare honors for a freshman – first-team all conference.

D Allison Hu, St. Louis(w): One of the most complete young players in the conference, Hu arrived with the Billikens ready to play. She was one of just two players on the team to start all 21 games for the team, mostly because Saint Louis relied heavily on her stability and toughness.

Hu is a 5-foot-9 athlete who challenges and competes. She helped establish the Billikens as one of the top three defenses in the Atlantic 10 but it was also her ability to build offense from the back that sparked the program. She finished with a goal and 11 shots.  

F Annie Worden, Fordham: She came in with the defined identity of a goal scorer and did not disappoint. Her three game-winning scores helped the team make a run in the conference where they finished third.

Worden is a player who was prepared for the physical level and did not shy away from it. She ended up with seven goals and 16 assists to lead the team in both categories and establish herself as the go-to player of the future.

F Shondel Archer, Richmond: We learned that she can hurt any defense with her speed and athleticism even at this level. She did plenty of it while tallying a team-best seven goals and 16 assists on the year.

A former track athlete, Archer started in 17 of the team’s 20 games and that number is bound to go up.

M Morgan Herbert, Duquesne: If Herbert’s aggression was not impeded by her first-year status, then surely it won’t be by second-year status. Finishing with seven goals and 16 points, she led the team with 44 shots as a freshman – four of them winding up as game-winning goals. Duquesne could have used a few more wins but it’s all part of the growing process.