MONTREAL –
Mara Bouchard of Granby, Que., was voted rookie of the year and among four McGill Martlets to earn all-star status as the Reseau du sport etudiant du Quebec announced the major award recipients in women's soccer.
In voting conducted by the league's eight head coaches, Bouchard was joined on the first squad by teammates
Thalia Krauth-Ibarz of Brossard, Que., and
Stephanie Hill of Montreal, while
Olivia Mazzarello of LaSalle, Que., merited second-team honours.
Both Bouchard and Hill also made the all-rookie team along with McGill goalkeeper
Brenna Bordeniuk of Calgary.
Two other McGill soccer graduates were also among the laureates as members of the Montreal Carabins, forward
Nathalie Brunelle (BA '20) and bench boss
Kevin McConnell (BEd '98, M.SportsPsych '01), who was named coach of the year.
Bouchard, a 5-foot-4 midfielder, started in all 14 league games and led the team in minutes played, missing only 80 minutes over the season. The 20-year-old psychology freshman was named as player of the game six times by the opposing coach. Held pointless, she was assigned the role of being a shutdown midfielder, which helped McGill achieve the second-best defensive record in the league, limiting opponents to only 10 goals.
"Mara is a gritty, consistent player who has a lot of pride and refuses to give up on any play," says McGill head coach
Jose-Luis Valdes. "She has tons of endurance and is arguably among the fittest players on our team."
Krauth-Ibarz, a 5-foot-6 striker, led the team and finished fourth in the league scoring race with six goals in only 10 contests. A 22-year-old science junior, she is an honours student in kinesiology,
Hill, a 5-foot-10 centre-back, started in 13 games and was named as McGill's player of the game four times. A 19-year-old science sophomore majoring in physical therapy, she was held pointless but played a key shutdown role, helping limit opposing teams to just 10 goals.
Mazzarello, a 5-foot-5 centre-back, started in 11 games and tallied one goal with one assist. The 21-year old science sophomore is a psychology major and was named once as the team's player of the game.
Bordeniuk, a 5-foot-4 goalkeeper, started in 11 games and posted a 7-3-1 record with five shutouts, ranking second among league leaders in both wins and clean sheets. The 18-year-old science freshman registered a stingy 0.73 save percentage and saved 40 of 48 shots for a save percentage of .833.
2021 RSEQ WOMEN'S UNIVERSITY SOCCER AWARDS & ALL-STARS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Marie-Ève Bernard-O'Breham, Montréal
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Mara Bouchard, McGill
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kevin McConnell, Montréal
LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
Kayla Kyle, Bishop's
FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS
Marie-Ève Bernard-O'Breham, Montréal
Kayla Kyle, Bishop's
Cynthia Gaspar-Freire, Laval
Stephanie Hill, McGill
Arielle Roy Petitclerc, Laval
Mégane Sauvé, Montréal
Mara Bouchard, McGill
Joëlle Mercier, Laval
Maxyme Nobert, Montréal
Thalia Krauth-Ibarz, McGill
Annie Ulliac, Bishop's
SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS
Nathalie Brunelle, Montréal
Olivia Mazzarello, McGill
Agathe Maetz, UQAM
Anyssa Ibrahim, UQAM
Maude Poulin, Montréal
Laurie Couture Dallaire, Laval
Karima Lemire, UQAM
Marilou Dugrenier, Sherbrooke
Julia Liguori, UQAM
Daphné Blouin, Laval
Myriam Labrecque, Laval
ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Stephanie Hill, McGill
Emma-Ève Lecompte, Laval
Kerstin O'Méara, Sherbrooke
Alexandra Doucet, Laval
Mara Bouchard, McGill
Geneviève Girard, Laval
Justine Lalande, Montréal
Marilou Dugrenier, Sherbrooke
Lorie Thibault, Montréal
Andréa Boily, Bishop's
Mathilde Rousseau, Laval
Brenna Bordeniuk, McGill
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Off.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
