BATON ROUGE — Freshman midfielder Melissa Clarke continues to garner postseason recognition as she was named to the Soccer Buzz Central Region All-Freshman Team, it was announced by the organization Wednesday.
This comes on the heels of being named Second-Team All-SEC and a member of the SEC All-Freshman Team in November, as well as being named Louisiana Player of the Year and First-Team All-Louisiana by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
“We’re certainly proud of what Melissa has accomplished this year on and off the field,” said LSU head coach Brian Lee. “She had a great season for us and will only continue to get better throughout her career. She has proven that she is not only one of the best freshmen in the SEC, but in the country as well.”
The Norcross, Ga., native scored the game-winning goal and recorded an assist in LSU’s 4-3 victory over Arkansas on Oct. 28 to lead the Tigers to their first appearance in the SEC Tournament since 2002. She was named SEC Freshman of the Week by the league office for her performance against the Lady Razorbacks.
Clarke has lived up to her billing as a Soccer Buzz Top 50 Recruit as she started all 19 games in which she appeared in 2005 while scoring one goal and recording four assists for a total of six points. She led the team with 37 total shots, including 10 shots on goal, and finished the season second in assists and fourth in points scored.
This marks the tenth year in which Soccer Buzz has presented postseason accolades, and 67 schools comprising the Central Region were eligible. Awards were decided by a vote open to all Division I head coaches and member of the Soccer Buzz staff.
Central Region All-Freshman Team
F, Aysha Jamani, Nebraska
F, Caitlin Robbins, Rice
F, Kylee Rossi, Tennessee
M, Melissa Clarke, LSU
M, Angelika Feldbacher, Oklahoma State
M, Jennifer Hance, Ole Miss
M, Kelli Lunsford, North Texas
M, Katie Shulz, Vanderbilt
D, Christine Breaux, Ole Miss
D, Stephanie Logterman, Texas
D, Kasey Moore, Texas
D, Yolanda Odenyo, Oklahoma State
D, Carly Phillips, SMU
D, Molly Uyenishi, Colorado College
GK, Dianna Pfenninger, Texas
GK, Geneva Sills, Colorado College