Ortega Named CAA Player of the Year; Four Cougars Tabbed All-CAA
10/25/2018 3:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Senior forward Laura Ortega has been voted the 2018 Colonial Athletic Association Women's Soccer Player of the Year by the leagues coaches, it was announced Thursday afternoon.
Ortega was also named to the All-CAA First Team while Rachel Kim earned All-CAA Second Team honors. Raymara Barreto was tabbed All-CAA Third Team while Hannah Farmer earned a nod to the All-Rookie team.
Ortega becomes the first women's soccer student-athlete to be named player of the year in program history and the first back-to-back first team all-conference selection since Kristin Rhyne was named All-SoCon First Team in 2004 and 2005. Ortega earned a spot on the All-CAA First Team after leading Charleston to a 5-3-1 CAA record, scoring a team leading eight goals, a conference leading four game-winning goals and tallying four assists for 20 overall points. The senior from Aranjuez, Spain, broke the all-time goals and points records this season, with 25 and 70 respectively, and is currently two assists away from breaking the all-time assists record of 22.
"Laura has had an incredible career here at CofC and obviously has made a major impact for our program on the field," Head coach Christian Michner said. "She is a difference maker. She has the ability to decide a game all by herself and that is rare in this sport. She is exceptional with the ball, is always ahead of the game and plays with passion and intensity found in elite athletes. She is a special player and I've been fortunate to have coached her for four years. It's an incredible honor and we are so proud that she is our first Player of the Year award winner."
All four student-athletes helped The College to a fourth-place finish in the CAA standings, the highest finish in the conference since Charleston joined the league in 2013.
Kim earned second team honors, her first career award, by helping anchor a Charleston defense that averaged a 1.17 goals against average and allowing the third lowest goals over the season in the conference (21 through 18 games). Kim started all 18 games and helped a Cougars defense that also notched seven clean sheets over the season, the joint-most in the CAA.
Barreto earned a spot on the third team after being instrumental in a Charleston team that reached 10 wins for the third time under head coach Christian Michner. The senior from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., started 15 of 18 games, grabbing one assist this season against Delaware and one goal against Towson.
In her freshman season, Farmer earned all-rookie honors after solid displays off the bench. Appearing in all 18 games, starting four, the forward from Savannah, Ga., set up her first goal in the season opener against North Florida, scoring her first collegiate goal on the road at Towson.
Charleston begin CAA Championship play tomorrow with a 1 p.m. match against the No. 5 seed Drexel. The winner will advance to the semifinal round against James Madison on Sunday with the championship game set for the following week at the highest remaining seed.
Ortega was also named to the All-CAA First Team while Rachel Kim earned All-CAA Second Team honors. Raymara Barreto was tabbed All-CAA Third Team while Hannah Farmer earned a nod to the All-Rookie team.
Ortega becomes the first women's soccer student-athlete to be named player of the year in program history and the first back-to-back first team all-conference selection since Kristin Rhyne was named All-SoCon First Team in 2004 and 2005. Ortega earned a spot on the All-CAA First Team after leading Charleston to a 5-3-1 CAA record, scoring a team leading eight goals, a conference leading four game-winning goals and tallying four assists for 20 overall points. The senior from Aranjuez, Spain, broke the all-time goals and points records this season, with 25 and 70 respectively, and is currently two assists away from breaking the all-time assists record of 22.
Your 2018 @CAASports Women's Soccer Player of the Year, @LauraOrtega_12. ????
— #TheCollege (@CofCSports) October 25, 2018
??| https://t.co/ATczlrs7Ek#comeCus pic.twitter.com/V9fhCnoU8c
"Laura has had an incredible career here at CofC and obviously has made a major impact for our program on the field," Head coach Christian Michner said. "She is a difference maker. She has the ability to decide a game all by herself and that is rare in this sport. She is exceptional with the ball, is always ahead of the game and plays with passion and intensity found in elite athletes. She is a special player and I've been fortunate to have coached her for four years. It's an incredible honor and we are so proud that she is our first Player of the Year award winner."
All four student-athletes helped The College to a fourth-place finish in the CAA standings, the highest finish in the conference since Charleston joined the league in 2013.
Kim earned second team honors, her first career award, by helping anchor a Charleston defense that averaged a 1.17 goals against average and allowing the third lowest goals over the season in the conference (21 through 18 games). Kim started all 18 games and helped a Cougars defense that also notched seven clean sheets over the season, the joint-most in the CAA.
Barreto earned a spot on the third team after being instrumental in a Charleston team that reached 10 wins for the third time under head coach Christian Michner. The senior from Mt. Pleasant, S.C., started 15 of 18 games, grabbing one assist this season against Delaware and one goal against Towson.
In her freshman season, Farmer earned all-rookie honors after solid displays off the bench. Appearing in all 18 games, starting four, the forward from Savannah, Ga., set up her first goal in the season opener against North Florida, scoring her first collegiate goal on the road at Towson.
Charleston begin CAA Championship play tomorrow with a 1 p.m. match against the No. 5 seed Drexel. The winner will advance to the semifinal round against James Madison on Sunday with the championship game set for the following week at the highest remaining seed.
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