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Nov. 13, 2002

Seven Lady Lions named to All-MIAA soccer team
Munnelly collects league MVP honor

Seven members of the Missouri Southern Lady Lions soccer team were named to the 2002 All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association squad, the conference announced today.

The list includes a first for the Lady Lions -- sophomore Ashley Munnelly was not only a unanimous first-team choice, she was also picked for Most Valuable Player accolades. Munnelly, a forward from Springfield, Mo., set MIAA records with 19 goals and 43 points and was one of two unanimous first-team picks. In 37 career games, she already has 36 goals, 11 assists and 83 points, all of which are Missouri Southern career records. Munnelly notched two hat tricks in 2002, giving her four for her career. Also a second-team Verizon Academic All-District selection this year, she has 11 multiple goal games.

Munnelly's final goal count for 2002 surpassed the previous MIAA mark of 17, which she and two others set last year. Her 43 points beat the previous conference standard of 42 points, set by Missouri-Rolla's Lizz Szkrybalo in 1999.

Other first-team honorees for Southern included backs Alicia Givens (Owasso, Okla), a sophomore, and Jessie Noid (Marshalltown, Iowa), a junior. Givens was also a first-team honoree in 2001. Givens played in all 18 games this year, charting two goals and one assist while leading the Lady Lions' defense. Noid notched one goal and an assist while playing in all 18 contests. As a team, the Southern defense limited its foes to 31 goals on 110 shots on goal.

The second-team included sophomore forward Kaysie Griffin (Springfield, Mo.) and juniors Stephanie Doerr (Tulsa, Okla.) and Kim Boessen (Holts Summit, Mo.). Griffin finished second on the team in goals (7), assists (4) and points (18), and had a goal in four of the team's final six games. Doerr, another from Southern's backfield, ended the year with two assists and 13 shots. Boessen, one of two goalkeepers utilized by head coach Geoff VanDeusen's charges this year, had 58 saves and a 1.37 goals against average while playing in 10 matches on the season. She finished with a 7-3 mark and three shutouts.

Honorable mention accolades went to senior back Amanda Zook (Lee's Summit, Mo.), who finished her career by playing all but one of the Lady Lions' 72 games during their four-year history. She tallied one goal and five assists in her Southern career.

The Lady Lions finished the 2002 campaign with an 11-5-2 record, the best in school history. They also posted a 7-3-2 ledger in MIAA action, finishing third in the final league standings.