Suschak Named Co-Defensive Player of the Year; Five Titans Earn All-League Honors

November 4, 2011

Suschak Named Co-Defensive Player of the Year; Five Titans Earn All-League Honors

Horizon League Release
Horizon League Tournament Bracket

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Horizon League announced its women's soccer All-League awards Monday afternoon and five Titans earned recognition. Three Titans earned first team honors while Detroit had a player each on the second team and the newcomer team. Senior Alexandra Suschak (Broadview Heights, OH/Brecksville Broadview Heights) was named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year.

Titan honorees included Suschak earning first team honors and being named the Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Abby McCollum (La Salle, MI/Monroe) and Kaitlyn Quarrell (Thunder Bay, ON/St. Ignatius) were the only sophomores to make the first team while sophomore goaltender Nora Abolins (Demorestville, ON/Centennial) made the second team. Freshman Alyssa Riley (Whitby, ON/Father Leo J. Austin) was named to the All-Newcomer team after starting every game this season. The results were determined by the Horizon League coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own players.

It's the second time in the 19 years of Detroit women's soccer that three players were on the first team. In 2003, goaltender Alisson Dube, Allison Epple and Mary Parker all garnered first team recognition.

“Anytime you have total team success like we did this year, everyone involved in the program from administrators to staff to coaches and teammates are all part of it. With that being said, I am happy for these individuals and the awards they received. The recognition for both them and our program as a whole shows the result of our work from this past season,” said women's soccer head coach Mike Lupenec.

Suschak anchored a backline that allowed just four goals in eight conference games and a current Titan season-best 13 overall. The 13 goals allowed is seven better than the previous low mark of 20 that was set in 2005 and is also the second fewest allowed in the league, one behind No. 1 seed Milwaukee. Suschak played every minute of every conference game in the back field as the team had 11 team shutouts. She also set up her twin sister Alison Suschak, for the second time this season, on the game-winning goal in a 1-0 defeat over Youngstown State on Oct. 5. The first team honor is the second straight year and second overall for Suschak while she is the first Titan to ever claim the league's defensive honor. Suschak has started in all 71 career games she has played.

McCollum and Quarrell both followed up last year's season on the All-Newcomer team with sophomore campaigns placing them atop the team scoring lead. McCollum's six goals and eight assists for 20 points place her first on the team while Quarrell was right behind her with six goals and four assists for 16 points. McCollum's total was the second best in the conference highlighted by a pair of three-assist games vs. Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. She had a stretch of six games this year where she scored four goals including the team's only goal at Milwaukee and a header for the team's second of three tallies at Michigan State.

Last year's scoring leader Quarrell led was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Aug. 29 with a three goal, one assist week helping Detroit to wins over Eastern Michigan, IUPUI and Bowling Green. She also paced the Titans in conference play with three goals including the game-winner on a nice individual effort at Loyola on Oct. 9. On that play, she carried the ball from midfield and took a shot just inside the 18-yard box that went into upper left corner for the lone goal in the 1-0 victory.

Abolins recorded eight shutouts overall in net compiling a 9-5-1 overall mark. She topped the league in conference shutouts with five and posted a streak of 403:59 without allowing a goal. In that stretch, the Titans won four straight Horizon League matches. She was named the Horizon League Player of the Week on Oct. 10 after two of those shutout wins at Youngstown State and Loyola.

Riley was named to the All-Newcomer team after scoring six goals and adding three assists for 15 points. Her six goals place her in a three-way tie with McCollum and Quarrell for the team lead. She started every game this year and helped control the middle of the field defending opposing corner kicks and set pieces. In conference play, she played all but nine minutes in eight games. She assisted on Alyssa Korson's game-winning goal in the first half of the Valparaiso contest and tied the score late at 89:12 of the Michigan State game. Riley being named to the team marks the 17th year Detroit has had an individual on the All-Newcomer team. In 19 years of the program, 1994 and 1996 are the only years that at least one Titan was not on the list.

The Titans (12-5-2, 5-2-1 Horizon League) finished with their best record since 2004 and as the No. 2 seed, have bypassed the quarterfinal round and are in the Horizon League semifinals for the second straight year. Milwaukee will serve as host after completing league play with a perfect 8-0 record. The Titans will begin the quest to reach their second NCAA Tournament berth Friday at 5:00 p.m. (All times Eastern). Detroit will go 12 days in between games after last playing in the regular season finale on Oct. 23 at Cleveland State. The Vikings, who enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed, played the Titans to a scoreless draw.

The first round will see No. 3 seed Valparaiso host No. 6 seed Butler Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. and No. 4 Cleveland State entertains the No. 5 seed Wright State at 4:00 p.m. The highest remaining seed of each quarterfinal winning team will match-up with Detroit and the lower of the two seeds will play Milwaukee.

2011 Horizon League Award Winners
All-League First Team
Name, School, Year, Position
Sarah Hagen, Milwaukee, Sr., F
Keara Thompson, Milwaukee, Sr., M
Alexandra Suschak, Detroit, Sr., D
Katie Griswold, Butler, Jr., F
Natalie Daniels, Cleveland State, Sr., M
Helen Steinhauser, Milwaukee, Jr., M
Brittany Persaud, Wright State, Sr., M
Bekah Bonny, Wright State, Sr., M
Abby McCollum, Detroit, So., F
Kaitlyn Quarrell, Detroit, So., F
Jamie Forbes, Milwaukee, Jr., GK

All-League Second Team
Rachel Hoaglin, Valparaiso, Jr., M
Mary Wandolowski, Milwaukee, Sr., D
Jessie Hubly, Loyola, Jr., M
Taylor Vidovic, Cleveland State, So., F
Amy Kauffung, Milwaukee, Fr., D
Elise Kotsakis, Butler, Fr., F
Corey Arno, Green Bay, Sr., M
Luisa Desario, Valparaiso, Jr., M
Casey Pedersen, Valparaiso, Sr., M
Mackenzie Gaillaspie, Milwaukee, Sr., M
Nora Abolins, Detroit, So., GK

All-Newcomer Team
Amy Kauffung, Milwaukee, D
Alyssa Riley, Detroit, M
Elise Kotsakis, Butler, F
Kelsey Draper, Valparaiso, M
Emily Scott, Milwaukee, F
Moriah Schwarz, Loyola, M
Jade Flory, Youngstown State, F
Allie Metzler, Wright State, D
Kelsey Holbert, Milwaukee, M
Shea Levi, Cleveland State, M
Valerie Gonyo, Loyola, D

Player of the Year
                Sarah Hagen, Milwaukee
Offensive Player of the Year
                Sarah Hagen, Milwaukee
Defensive Players of the Year
                Alexandra Suschak, Detroit
                Jamie Forbes, Milwaukee
Goalkeeper of the Year
                Jamie Forbes, Milwaukee
Newcomer of the Year
                Amy Kauffung, Milwaukee
Coach of the Year
                Michael Moynihan, Milwaukee