Women’s Soccer places six on All-Region Team
By: David Toelle, KWU Sports Information

McPHERSON – Kansas Wesleyan University placed six women’s soccer players on the NAIA Region IV All-Region team for the 2007 season. All six selections were on the First Team.

Muilenburg

Heather Muilenburg, a sophomore forward from Salina, was named First Team All-Region IV. She led the Coyotes with 21 goals and 11 assists during the season. She was named KCAC Offensive Player of the Year last month. She finished the season third in the conference in goals per game, scoring 21 times in 24 games for a .88 per game average. In addition to being named First Team All-Region, she also earned NAIA Region IV Player of the Year honors, beating out Park’s Maria Ruiz.

Benton

Kathleen Benton, a junior midfielder from Mission Viejo, Calif., was also named to the All-Region First Team. Benton, in her first season with the Coyotes, scored 17 goals and tallied 11 assists in helping Wesleyan lead the NAIA in shots per game at 31. The Coyotes also were ranked second in the nation in shots on goal per game at just over 17 per game.

Brownell

Marisa Brownell was named First Team All-Region at defender. The junior from Mission Viejo, Calif., was part of the Wesleyan defense that leads the NAIA in goals against average at .330. She also had one assist during the season.

Parada

Eliana Parada was also named First Team All-Region. The junior from San Diego had 18 goals and 11 assists on the season. She was a key component of Wesleyan’s offense with her quickness and agility. She set up many plays allowing other scorers such as Benton and Muilenburg to find the net. She was also on the receiving end of many passes. Her 18 goals scored was fourth best in the KCAC this season, and she was also fourth in the KCAC in points per game.

Macy

Janna Macy, a senior midfielder from Covina, Calif., was named First Team All-Region at midfield. Macy was part of the Coyote offense that scored 92 goals this season. Macy had 13 goals and seven assists. She was a leader on the field, directing the Wesleyan offense and setting up the high powered offense attack. She was also a strong defender, stopping several opponents’ potential attacks in the midfield.

Beatty

Kelli Beatty, a junior goalkeeper from Diamond Bar, Calif., was named as First Team All-Region in goal. She headed up the stiff Wesleyan defense that allowed only eight goals all season long. Heading into the National Championships, Beatty had only allowed two goals while she was in net. She leads the NAIA in goals against average, allowing .199 goals per 90 minutes.

Dibbini

KWU Coach Mike Dibbini was named as the NAIA Region IV Coach of the Year. Dibbini led the Coyotes to a second consecutive regular season KCAC Championship, a third straight KCAC Tournament Title and coached the Coyotes to their first ever NAIA National Champion berth with a 3-0 defeat of Park (Mo.) in the regional championship match. It was the first ever berth to the NAIA National Tournament for a women’s team from the KCAC since the National Tournament began in 1984.

Kansas Wesleyan finished its season with a 21-2-1 overall record, and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Championships, where the Coyotes eventually bowed out to No.4 seeded Concordia (Ore.).

-- KWU SI --