By Kyle Naber, UWEC Sports Information
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Blugolds.com)- The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire women’s soccer team celebrated their season by announcing team awards at the team banquet.
The Blugolds dealt with a lot of injuries to key players, but still managed to finish 6-10-3 on the season and made a run to the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) semifinals where they were defeated for by the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
The team’s most MVP was senior Ashley Seymour (Sr.-Verona, WI/Verona Area). Seymour was the Blugold leader in assists and starts for the Blugolds this season. She also showed impressive versatility this season moving from her usual role as a defender to the midfield position due to injuries. She thrived in the midfield role as she scored two goals and almost tripled her shot on goal percentage from a year ago. (23.1 percent in 2014, 59.1 percent in 2015) Seymour helped to develop a large group of freshman with leadership on and off the field.
Tara Dennehy (Sr.-Eugene, OR/Churchill) earned Offensive Player of the Year honors this season. Dennehy scored four goals on the season and was also the team’s leader in shots, game-winning goals, and tied for most starts.
Eva Charlesworth-Seiler (Fr.-Golden Valley, MN/ Hopkins) stood out on the defensive side and was named the Alumni Freshman Player of the Year. Charlesworth-Seiler had an excellent season starting in 18 games. She added a huge unassisted goal against the University of Wisconsin-Stout. Charlesworth-Seiler was also vital in assisting the Blugold’s goalies to five clean sheets.
Eau Claire’s Playmaker of the Year was Jocelyn Etten. (Jr.-Elkhorn, WI/Elkhorn Area) Etten started in all 19 games for the Blugolds and was an effective player for Eau Claire in the midfield, often starting the attacks. She finished with an assist and 14 shots on goal this season.
The Most Improved Player was awarded to Brenna Sullivan. (Fr.-Rosemount, MN/ Rosemount) Sullivan showed poise as a freshman playing in 18 games and starting in 16 of them. She showed great signs of improvement throughout the season. Sullivan will be a staple in the Blugold defense for the next three years.
Hannah Schweitzer (So.-Rice Lake, WI/ Rice Lake) was named the Practice player of the year. Schweitzer played in 17 games, starting one and scoring a goal in her freshman campaign. In her sophomore season, she was not able to find the back of the net in 14 games played, but she showed excellent work ethic throughout the season. She never quit, whether it was during the game or at practice. Schweitzer also served as a great model for this young team and will looked to as leader in the coming years.
Danielle Jensen (So.-Mukwonago, WI/ Mukwonago) was this year’s recipient of the Golden Shoe award. Jensen played in all 19 games this season, including one start and was a reliable player for Eau Claire in the midfield.
The Blugolds also welcomed back alum Andrea Hull as the guest speaker for the banquet. Hull played from 2007-10 and following her graduation in 2011, earned a law degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Hull currently works at Epic in Madison.
Also honored at the banquet were seniors, Ashley O’Connell (Sr.-Appleton, WI/East), Caroline Henderson (Sr.-Duluth, MN/East), Megan Hanson (Sr.-Duluth,MN/East) Tara Dennehy (Sr.-Eugene, OR/Churchill) and Ashley Seymour (Sr.-Verona, WI/Verona Area) who finished their Blugold careers with an overall record of 31-37-9.
