Women's Soccer Announces 2007 Season Awards

STORRS, Conn. (March 30, 2008) - The University of Connecticut women's soccer team announced its annual team awards Sunday at its postseason banquet. These individuals helped UConn to a 14-6-2 record and a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals, the farthest the team has advanced in the tournament since 2003.

The Jack Dennerley Most Valuable Player Award goes to junior goalkeeper Stephanie Labbe (Stony Plain, Alberta). She played every minute in net for the Huskies, recording a 0.61 goals against average, with 71 saves and a .835 goals against average. She recorded 11 shutouts in 22 games, while earning All-BIG EAST honorable mention. She also  was named to the NSCAA All-Northeast Region first team as well as the NEWISA All-New England first team.

The winner of the AJ Pappanikou Unsung Hero Award is senior defender Sarah MacIsaac (Bedford, Nova Scotia). This award goes to someone whose contributions may not show up in the stat sheet, but they still cannot be ignored. MacIssac started all 22 games on defense this year, helping lead a team that allowed only 14 total goals. She continued to improve every season. After appearing in only 26 games with four starts over her first two years on the team, she appeared in all 44 games over the last two seasons, making 38 starts.

A new award this year is the Pappanikou Family Sportsmanship Award. The first ever recipient is senior midfielder Meghan Schnur (Butler, Pa.). The team's leading scorer with 19 points on five goals and nine assists, she earned first team All-America honors from both the NSCAA and Soccer Buzz Magazine. In addition to being named an All-American, she also was named to the NSCAA Scholar All-America first team for the second year in a row, as well as being honored as the BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, and earning ALL-BIG EAST first team honors for the fourth time.

This year's Most Improved Player award goes to junior Jessica Diakun (Glastonbury, Conn.). She was also part of the strong Husky defense that allowed only 14 goals all season. She appeared in all 22 games this season. After being mostly a reserve her first two seasons on the team, Diakun started a career high 21 games this year.

Senior Alexandra Zedros (Melrose, Mass.) finishes her final season as a double award winner. She was named the winner of the Strength and Conditioning Award as well as the Lucette Pappanikou Scholar Athlete Award for having the team's highest GPA. Zedros finished the season having appeared in all 22 games and recording two assists. She also made a career high six starts during the season.