TicketsCINCINNATI – Ashley Barron (Toledo, Ohio/Notre Dame Academy) shared the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year honor and was named a First-Team All-AAC honoree as the league announced its postseason awards Wednesday.
Kendall Battle (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville) and Alli Pestaina (Brimfield, Mass./Worcester Academy) earned Second-Team All-AAC honors and Lauren Bastian (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) was tabbed for the AAC All-Rookie Team.
The Bearcats finished 4-4-1 in the regular season, entering AAC Championship play this Thursday on a four-match unbeaten streak, winning three of four and earning a double overtime tie against No. 15 USF on April 11.
Barron, who donned the captain's armband most of the season, led a back line which ranked in the top half of the league in goals against average (1.08), earn a pair of clean sheets and helped freshman goalkeeper Anna Rexford rank among the league leaders in GAA and saves. Barron also scored a goal off a set piece in a road win against Tulsa.
She is the second player in program history to earn First-Team All-AAC accolades twice along with former standout defender Vanessa Gilles. Only six UC soccer players have earned multiple postseason first-team all-conference awards, including Barron (2019-20), Gilles (2016-17), Heather Herweh (2001-02), Tina Matlock (1997-98) and Paulette Angilecchia (1994-96).
Barron is the sixth defender to earn a postseason league defender of the year honor, joining Gilles (2017), Christy Hoffman (2001), Tracy Pohl (1997), Nicole Thorne (1996) and Julie McCaffrey (1995).
Battle was the team's leading scorer with a pair of goals and tied for the team lead with four points, netting dramatic game winners in overtime against Houston and a late second-half effort against Tennessee.
Pestaina was partnered with Barron on the back line for the defensive which allowed only 10 goals all season. Pestaina netted the game winner at East Carolina and earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 29 after the Bearcats conceded just one score in 185 minutes of play and earned a pair of wins.
Bastian shared the team's points lead with Battle, scoring a goal off a penalty kick and assisting on two others. She started all nine matches in the midfield and was on the AAC honor roll on April 12 after assisting on Sophie Gorman's game-tying score which led to the double OT tie against nationally-ranked USF.
AAC AWARDS HISTORY
• Cincinnati has placed at least one individual on the AAC All-Rookie Team in all eight seasons the league has competed while also placing at least one individual on the first or second all-conference teams every year.
• UC has seen its players earn five AAC First Team, nine AAC Second Team and 12 AAC All-Rookie Team accolades since 2013.
UP NEXT
The No. 3 Bearcats (4-4-1) have qualified for the AAC Championship and will play No. 2 Memphis (8-2-0) Thursday in the first semifinal at 3 p.m. ET with the game televised on ESPN+ and live stats available on BearcatStats.com. No. 1 USF will face No. 4 East Carolina in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
The championship final will take place Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Visit AAC Championship Central
2020 AAC POSTSEASON AWARDS
Co-Defensive Player of the Year
Ashley Barron, So., D, Cincinnati
First-Team All-Conference
Ashley Barron, So., D, Cincinnati
Second-Team All-Conference
Kendall Battle, So., F, Cincinnati
Alli Pestaina, Jr., D, Cincinnati
All-Rookie Team
Lauren Bastian, M, Cincinnati*
* denotes unanimous selection
CINCINNATI'S ALL-TIME AAC AWARDS (26)
AAC First Team All-Conference (5)
2020 • Ashley Barron
2019 • Ashley Barron & Sophie Gorman
2017 • Vanessa Gilles
2016 • Vanessa Gilles
AAC Second Team All-Conference (9)
2020 • Kendall Battle & Alli Pestaina
2018 • Jill Vetere
2017 • Sophie Gorman
2016 • Julie Gavorski
2015 • Vanessa Gilles & Danielle Rotheram
2014 • Katy Couperus
2013 • Emily Elsbrock
AAC All-Rookie Team (12)
2020 • Lauren Bastian
2019 • Ashley Barron & Han Tang
2018 • Vanessa DiNardo
2017 • Sophie Gorman & Kiki Lowell
2016 • Bri Costigan
2015 • Jordan Cotleur
2014 • Julie Gavorski & Vanessa Gilles
2013 • Katy Couperus & Natalie Smith
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team (@GoBearcatsWSOC) and Head Coach Neil Stafford (@UCGaffer) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.
Kendall Battle (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville) and Alli Pestaina (Brimfield, Mass./Worcester Academy) earned Second-Team All-AAC honors and Lauren Bastian (Centerville, Ohio/Centerville) was tabbed for the AAC All-Rookie Team.
The Bearcats finished 4-4-1 in the regular season, entering AAC Championship play this Thursday on a four-match unbeaten streak, winning three of four and earning a double overtime tie against No. 15 USF on April 11.
Barron, who donned the captain's armband most of the season, led a back line which ranked in the top half of the league in goals against average (1.08), earn a pair of clean sheets and helped freshman goalkeeper Anna Rexford rank among the league leaders in GAA and saves. Barron also scored a goal off a set piece in a road win against Tulsa.
She is the second player in program history to earn First-Team All-AAC accolades twice along with former standout defender Vanessa Gilles. Only six UC soccer players have earned multiple postseason first-team all-conference awards, including Barron (2019-20), Gilles (2016-17), Heather Herweh (2001-02), Tina Matlock (1997-98) and Paulette Angilecchia (1994-96).
Barron is the sixth defender to earn a postseason league defender of the year honor, joining Gilles (2017), Christy Hoffman (2001), Tracy Pohl (1997), Nicole Thorne (1996) and Julie McCaffrey (1995).
Battle was the team's leading scorer with a pair of goals and tied for the team lead with four points, netting dramatic game winners in overtime against Houston and a late second-half effort against Tennessee.
Pestaina was partnered with Barron on the back line for the defensive which allowed only 10 goals all season. Pestaina netted the game winner at East Carolina and earned AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 29 after the Bearcats conceded just one score in 185 minutes of play and earned a pair of wins.
Bastian shared the team's points lead with Battle, scoring a goal off a penalty kick and assisting on two others. She started all nine matches in the midfield and was on the AAC honor roll on April 12 after assisting on Sophie Gorman's game-tying score which led to the double OT tie against nationally-ranked USF.
AAC AWARDS HISTORY
• Cincinnati has placed at least one individual on the AAC All-Rookie Team in all eight seasons the league has competed while also placing at least one individual on the first or second all-conference teams every year.
• UC has seen its players earn five AAC First Team, nine AAC Second Team and 12 AAC All-Rookie Team accolades since 2013.
UP NEXT
The No. 3 Bearcats (4-4-1) have qualified for the AAC Championship and will play No. 2 Memphis (8-2-0) Thursday in the first semifinal at 3 p.m. ET with the game televised on ESPN+ and live stats available on BearcatStats.com. No. 1 USF will face No. 4 East Carolina in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
The championship final will take place Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Visit AAC Championship Central
2020 AAC POSTSEASON AWARDS
Co-Defensive Player of the Year
Ashley Barron, So., D, Cincinnati
First-Team All-Conference
Ashley Barron, So., D, Cincinnati
Second-Team All-Conference
Kendall Battle, So., F, Cincinnati
Alli Pestaina, Jr., D, Cincinnati
All-Rookie Team
Lauren Bastian, M, Cincinnati*
* denotes unanimous selection
CINCINNATI'S ALL-TIME AAC AWARDS (26)
AAC First Team All-Conference (5)
2020 • Ashley Barron
2019 • Ashley Barron & Sophie Gorman
2017 • Vanessa Gilles
2016 • Vanessa Gilles
AAC Second Team All-Conference (9)
2020 • Kendall Battle & Alli Pestaina
2018 • Jill Vetere
2017 • Sophie Gorman
2016 • Julie Gavorski
2015 • Vanessa Gilles & Danielle Rotheram
2014 • Katy Couperus
2013 • Emily Elsbrock
AAC All-Rookie Team (12)
2020 • Lauren Bastian
2019 • Ashley Barron & Han Tang
2018 • Vanessa DiNardo
2017 • Sophie Gorman & Kiki Lowell
2016 • Bri Costigan
2015 • Jordan Cotleur
2014 • Julie Gavorski & Vanessa Gilles
2013 • Katy Couperus & Natalie Smith
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team (@GoBearcatsWSOC) and Head Coach Neil Stafford (@UCGaffer) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Instagram and Facebook.