FRISCO, Texas -- The Southland Conference released the league's 2019 All-Academic women's soccer selections early Thursday afternoon, naming Nicholls State University senior Blaire Laiche to the conference's second team. Despite taking over as a primary forward as recently as late last season, the Gonzales, La. native proved more than equal to the task of the Colonels' offensive spearhead throughout her final year on the pitch, pacing the team with seven total goals, 36 shots and 17 shots-on-goal.

The All-Academic teams are voted upon by the league's head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance staff.

Throughout the 2019 campaign, Laiche consistently served as the Red & Gray's first option when on the attack, registering 17 starts at forward on 18 total appearances while logging a team fourth-best 1,312 minutes on the pitch. Notably, the senior forward posted a memorable performance in an early-season 5-0 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, finding the back of the net three times as she secured the program's first hat trick since Jess Coates' triple-score showing against Southern early in the 2016 campaign.

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2019 Southland Conference All-Academic Teams

2019 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year: Lucy Ashworth, Lamar

2019 Soccer All-Academic First Team

Pos.	Name	School
F	Lucy Ashworth*2	Lamar
F	Christina Arteaga*	Abilene Christian
F	Havana Johnson	McNeese
F	Keeley Ayala	UIW
MF	Abby Deakin*	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
MF	Shay Johnson*2	Abilene Christian
MF	Anna Loftus*	Lamar
MF	Courtney Pawlik^	Sam Houston State
MF	Jayden Wheeler^3	Northwestern State
D	Ana Campa*	UIW
D	Nicole Henry*	Northwestern State
D	Michelle Mulrooney*2	Abilene Christian
D	Megan Rickert^3	Houston Baptist
GK	Allyson Halliday^	Stephen F. Austin

 

2019 Soccer All-Academic Second Team

Pos.	Name	School
F	Blaire Laiche	Nicholls
F	Anna Watson	McNeese
F	Jalen Donaldson	Northwestern State
F	Sammi Mayock	Sam Houston State
MF	Sophia Fondren2	Stephen F. Austin
MF	Rachel Palet2	McNeese
MF	Hadley Dickinson	Central Arkansas
MF	Megan Gordon	Southeastern Louisiana
D	Brooke Lenz	Abilene Christian
D	Natalee Henry	Northwestern State
D	Rebecca Adcock	McNeese
D	Mya Anders	Lamar
GK	Kayla Bomben	Northwestern State

* First Team All-Conference

² Two-time all-academic selection
³ Three-time all-academic selection

^{^} Google Cloud Academic All-District