Soccer Lands 9 on OCSA Academic All-Ohio Lists

CINCINNATI - The Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association announced its annual award winners for the 2019 season with the University of Cincinnati women's soccer team earning 11 total honors as the Association released the names of student-athletes selected for OCSA All-Ohio and OCSA Academic All-Ohio. The Bearcats saw 10 different individuals collect awards with Sophie Gorman earning both OCSA Academic All-Ohio First Team and OCSA All-Ohio Second Team.

// IT'S ACADEMIC
In recent years, the program has continually raised the bar in academic success as made evident earlier this season when the United Soccer Coaches released its list of academic teams that had the Bearcats on top of the collegiate world with the highest GPA of any school, men and women included, across the nation (3.79) for the 2018-19 academic year. All nine of the women honored by the OCSA today were members of that record team GPA and were honored for their efforts this season as three Bearcats were selected OCSA All-Academic First Team and six more were second-team honorees.

Gorman, Sydney Kilgore and Madison Less all earned placement on the first-team with Less earning her second career accolade after being selected to the second team last year. For Gorman, the honor is the second earned this year academically after she was named to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region Third Team for the 2019 season. The six women that earned placements on the second team included Bri Costigan, Sydney Goins, Riley Gruenbaum, Dee Picou, Delaney Riester and Karli Royer.

The nine total selections this year led all schools in the state with Ohio University second with eight total honorees as both squads placed three women on the first team. The three first-team honorees are the most in a single season for the Bearcats and the first since the 2017 season (Vanessa Gilles). In fact, since 2012, the program has now attained 10 total first-team accolades with three coming this year. Overall, the team had earned eight total academic honors in the past three years combined as the six second-team selections are the most in a single season, surpassing the four different seasons in which UC had two on the second team (2018, 2017, 2015 and 2012).

// TOP BILLING
Gorman was joined by Ashley Barron as selections to the OCSA All-Ohio teams with Barron being selected to first-team and Gorman second. The duo both earned athletic honors earlier this year as the coaches of the American Athletic Conference selected Barron to the AAC All-Conference First Team and the AAC All-Rookie Team while Gorman earned AAC All-Conference Second Team accolades. Collectively, the two selections for OCSA All-Ohio recognition give UC at least two honorees in a season for the fifth year in a row.

Barron, who just completed her true freshman season with the Bearcats, was the lone freshman to earn OCSA All-Ohio First Team accolades and one of just four total freshman to be honored this season. By earning her first award from the OCSA, she became the first UC player selected to the first-team since 2017 (Gilles and Gorman). For Gorman, this year's selection is her second career award.

For the year, was one of the top defenders in the league and was a two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 30 & Oct. 28) selection. The first freshman in program history to earn a spot on a conference's first team, the true freshman helped the Bearcats defense post eight clean sheets on the year while also helping the team post a stretch of nearly 500 minutes in which they shutout their foes. Of those eight shutouts, three came on the road against conference foes, the most in a single AAC season in UC history. Barron, started 18 of the 19 matches the Bearcats played this year and logged 1,571 minutes, the most of any non-goalie on the team. Offensively, she logged eight shots with one goal and two points, both of which were huge for the Bearcats as the goal was the game-winner in a 1-0 defeat of UCF that guaranteed UC a finish in the Top 4 of the AAC standings and a spot in the conference tournament.

For Gorman, the Cincinnati McNicholas product registered six points on two goals and two assists to tie for second on the team in points and goals. Playing nearly 1,500 minutes and appearing in the Starting XI in 18 of the team's 19 matches, Gorman posted one goal and one assist at Lipscomb to help spark the Bearcats to a run of 3-0-1 after opening the year 1-5-0. She also scored an insurance goal in a 2-0 win at Temple while assisting on the game-winning goal Sydney Goins tallied to give the Bearcats the first-ever win at SMU.

// 2019 OCSA Division I All-Ohio
First Team (1)
Ashley Barron - first selection

Second Team (1)
Sophie Gorman - second selection

// 2019 OCSA Division I Academic All-Ohio
First Team (3)
Sophie Gorman - first selection
Sydney Kilgore - first selection
Madison Less - second selection

Second Team (6)
Bri Costigan - first selection
Sydney Goins - first selection
Riley Gruenbaum - first selection
Dee Picou - first selection
Delaney Riester - first selection
Karli Royer - first selection