WSOC | Poland Named WCC Keeper of the Year, Alcantara to 2nd Team
4/23/2021 1:02:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN MATEO, Calif. — Saint Mary's had four players recognized in this season's all-conference awards as announced today by the West Coast Conference. The Gaels placed two members on the Second Team, one on the All-Freshman Team, and two Honorable Mentions in addition to a Goalkeeper of the Year Award.
Freshman keeper Taylor Poland was the team's shining recipient as she was named WCC Goalkeeper of the Year, All-WCC Second Team, and All-Freshman Team. Poland played all but 11 minutes in goal for the Gaels this season and was a major factor in the team's success during league play. The Laguna Hills, Calif. native led the WCC in save percentage at .859 and her 0.77 goals-against average was the fourth lowest single-season figure in program history.
Poland also became the first Gael goalkeeper to land on either the First or Second since Ruth Montgomery did so in 2002.
"Taylor is an incredible goalkeeper who works hard every day and is a student of the game," said Gaels' head coach Theresa Romagnolo. "She's a great competitor, teammate, and thrives in big moments."
Joining Poland on the Second Team is Maya Alcantara. The defender was one of the team's leaders in minutes played and also tied for second in points. Alcantara scored twice in back-to-back games this season; she tallied the game-winner at San Francisco on Mar. 30 and scored a big goal late in Saint Mary's 1-1 draw against No. 17 BYU in the following match. It's the second all-conference honor for the junior who was named to the All-Freshman Team back in 2018.
AnnaMaria DiGeronimo and Emily Jensen were named Honorable Mentions. DiGeronimo led the Gaels in shots this season and notched a goal and assist while Jensen scored a team-best four times. Two of Jensen's goals came in the team's season finale against Loyola Marymount and she received WCC Offensive Player of the Week the following Tuesday.
Saint Mary's program continues to trend in the correct direction under first year head coach Theresa Romagnolo. In addition to posting their best conference record in 17 years, Saint Mary's placed two players on either the First or Second Team for the first time since 2010.
The full slate of conference awards can be seen below.
2020-21 WCC Women's Soccer Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Mikayla Colohan, BYU
Defender of the Year: Alex Loera, Santa Clara
Goalkeeper of the Year: Taylor Poland, Saint Mary's
Freshman of the Year: Sally Menti, Santa Clara
Coaches of the Year: Jerry Smith, Santa Clara and Chris Watkins, Gonzaga
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer First Team
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Second Team
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Honorable Mentions
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Freshman Team
Freshman keeper Taylor Poland was the team's shining recipient as she was named WCC Goalkeeper of the Year, All-WCC Second Team, and All-Freshman Team. Poland played all but 11 minutes in goal for the Gaels this season and was a major factor in the team's success during league play. The Laguna Hills, Calif. native led the WCC in save percentage at .859 and her 0.77 goals-against average was the fourth lowest single-season figure in program history.
Poland also became the first Gael goalkeeper to land on either the First or Second since Ruth Montgomery did so in 2002.
"Taylor is an incredible goalkeeper who works hard every day and is a student of the game," said Gaels' head coach Theresa Romagnolo. "She's a great competitor, teammate, and thrives in big moments."
Joining Poland on the Second Team is Maya Alcantara. The defender was one of the team's leaders in minutes played and also tied for second in points. Alcantara scored twice in back-to-back games this season; she tallied the game-winner at San Francisco on Mar. 30 and scored a big goal late in Saint Mary's 1-1 draw against No. 17 BYU in the following match. It's the second all-conference honor for the junior who was named to the All-Freshman Team back in 2018.
AnnaMaria DiGeronimo and Emily Jensen were named Honorable Mentions. DiGeronimo led the Gaels in shots this season and notched a goal and assist while Jensen scored a team-best four times. Two of Jensen's goals came in the team's season finale against Loyola Marymount and she received WCC Offensive Player of the Week the following Tuesday.
Saint Mary's program continues to trend in the correct direction under first year head coach Theresa Romagnolo. In addition to posting their best conference record in 17 years, Saint Mary's placed two players on either the First or Second Team for the first time since 2010.
The full slate of conference awards can be seen below.
2020-21 WCC Women's Soccer Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year: Mikayla Colohan, BYU
Defender of the Year: Alex Loera, Santa Clara
Goalkeeper of the Year: Taylor Poland, Saint Mary's
Freshman of the Year: Sally Menti, Santa Clara
Coaches of the Year: Jerry Smith, Santa Clara and Chris Watkins, Gonzaga
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer First Team
| Name | Institution | Year |
| Joelle Anderson | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| Sophia Braun | Gonzaga | Jr. |
| Mikayla Colohan | BYU | Sr. |
| Izzy D'Aquila | Santa Clara | So. |
| Julie Doyle | Santa Clara | Sr. |
| Alex Loera | Santa Clara | Sr. |
| Rachel McCarthy | BYU | So. |
| Taryn Ries | Portland | Sr. |
| Cameron Tucker | BYU | Sr. |
| Kelsey Turnbow | Santa Clara | Sr. |
| Trinity Watson | Pepperdine | Jr. |
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Second Team
| Name | Institution | Year |
| Maya Alcantara | Saint Mary's | Jr. |
| Maddie Cooley | Gonzaga | Sr. |
| Sydney Cooper | San Francisco | Sr. |
| Catherine Hill | San Francisco | So. |
| Leyla McFarland | Pepperdine | Jr. |
| Sally Menti | Santa Clara | Fr. |
| Jaida Nyby | Pacific | So. |
| Taylor Poland | Saint Mary's | Fr. |
| Jamie Shepherd | BYU | So. |
| Jordan Thompson | Gonzaga | Sr. |
| Tori Waldeck | Pepperdine | Fr. |
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Honorable Mentions
| Name | Institution | Year |
| Siarfo Abekah | LMU | So. |
| Camille Ashe | Portland | Fr. |
| Lyza Bosselmann | Gonzaga | So. |
| Madi Cook | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| AnnaMaria DiGeronimo | Saint Mary's | Sr. |
| Sierra Dunphy | LMU | So. |
| Sami Fairweather | San Diego | Sr. |
| Josie Gelalich | BYU | Sr. |
| Ellie Glenn | Santa Clara | So. |
| Kendyll Humphreys | LMU | So. |
| Emily Jensen | Saint Mary's | So. |
| Sofia Jones | Santa Clara | Sr. |
| Jalyn Lupo | LMU | Jr. |
| Leah Pirro | San Diego | Fr. |
| Jayd Sprague | San Francisco | Fr. |
| Marissa Vasquez | San Francisco | Fr. |
| Elliott Winkelmann | Portland | Sr. |
2020-21 All-WCC Women's Soccer Freshman Team
| Name | Institution |
| Camille Ashe | Portland |
| Marisa Bubnis | Santa Clara |
| Kayla Chatman-Haggerty | Gonzaga |
| Kate Doyle | Gonzaga |
| Julianna Duckett | Pepperdine |
| Brooke Hale | BYU |
| Sophia Mattice | Portland |
| Sally Menti | Santa Clara |
| Taylor Poland | Saint Mary's |
| Victoria Romero | Pepperdine |
| Olivia Smith | BYU |
| Marissa Vasquez | San Francisco |
| Tori Waldeck | Pepperdine |
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