MONTREAL – Jose-Luis Valdes was named conference coach of the year in women soccer and four of his players merited all-star status in voting conducted by the league's eight head coaches and announced by the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec.
 
Mara Bouchard of Granby, Que., was picked to the first team along with fellow McGillians Chloé Renaud of St. Hubert, Que., and Stephanie Hill of Montreal. Earning a berth on the second squad was Sophie Guilmette of Ahuntsic, Que.
 
Teammate Amélie Beaudet-Gaudette, a Montrealer, was voted to the all-rookie squad.
 
Valdes wins the conference coaching honour for the first time in his 11 years (10 seasons) as bench boss of the program. This marks the ninth time that a Martlets coach has won this award and the first since Marc Mounicot in 2009, when he also claimed the national trophy. Valdes, a 42-year-old native of Montreal, guided his troops to a 6-3-5 third-place finish in league play this season. His Martlets took points off every team in the league, including a 1-1 draw against division-leading Laval and a 1-0 victory over second-place Montreal. He was appointed head coach at McGill in 2013 and has guided the Martlets to a 64-46-30 record in 140 regular season contests. Prior to taking over the reins, he served 11 seasons (2001 to 2011) as an assistant coach with the team. During his playing days, he was a goalkeeper for the McGill men's team from 2001 to 2004, before graduating in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in physical and health education. He has had several international stints as an assistant coach, including the Canadian women's soccer squad at three FISU World University Summer Games, in Italy (2019), Taipei (2017) and South Korea (2015).
 
Bouchard, a 5-foot-4 midfielder, earns first-team all-star honours for the third consecutive year since receiving the conference rookie-of-the-year award in 2021. A shutdown defensive player, the 22-year-old psychology junior started all 14 regular season games and while kept off the scoresheet, she was selected a team-leading five times as McGill's player of the game.
 
Renaud receives her second all-star nod after making the second squad last season. A 5-foot-4 midfielder, she tallied a team-leading six points in 10 games. The 20-year-old psychology sophomore tied for the team lead in goals (2) and her four assists tied for second among league leaders. Renaud was named four times as McGill's player of the game, including the semifinal 2-1 loss against the Montreal Carabins.
 
Hill merits first-team all-star status for the third consecutive year. The 5-foot-11 defender, scored once in 14 contests and was named once as the team's player of the game. After graduating with a science degree last spring, the 21-year-old returned this year for a master's degree in applied physical therapy.
 
Guilmette, a 5-foot-6 goalkeeper, started all 14 games and posted a 6-3-5 record with a league-leading seven shutouts. She tied for second among leaders with a stingy 0.71 goals-against average and registered an .841 save percentage, making 53 saves on 63 shots. Guilmette was named as the McGill female athlete of the week on Oct. 16. A 22-year-old master's student in kinesiology and physical education, she transferred to McGill in 2021 after graduating from NCAA's Vanderbilt University.
 
Beaudet-Gaudette, a 5-foot-5 defender, dressed for all 14 games. The 19-year-old civil engineering freshman was held pointless but quickly established herself as reliable defensive player on a team that had the third-defensive record in the RSEQ, with 11 goals against in 14 games. She was named once as the team's player of the game.
 
2023 RSEQ WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-STARS
 

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Daphnée Blouin, Laval

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

Florence Thibeault, Laval

COACH OF THE YEAR

José-Luis Valdes, McGill

LEADERSHIP & CITIZENSHIP AWARD

Tiffany Smith, Bishop's

FIRST TEAM ALL-STARS

Daphnée Blouin, Laval

Erika Bastien, Montréal

Mia Tessier, Montréal

Mara Bouchard, McGill

Elsa Lessard, Laval

Chloé Renaud, McGill

Stephanie Hill, McGill

Maude Lagacé, Montréal

Charlotte Larrivée, Sherbrooke

Emma-Ève Lecompte, Laval

Anne-Marie Laroche, Laval

SECOND TEAM ALL-STARS

Marilou Dugrenier, Sherbrooke

Karyna Fiset, Laval

Léa-Jeanne Fortier, Laval

Mathilde Rousseau, Laval

Leonie Portelance, Montréal

Lorie Thibault, Montréal

Kaliane Arpin-Gaba, UQAM

Alexandra Doucet, UQAM

Katya Houpert, Montréal

Jessalyn Hill, Bishop's

Sophie Guilmette, McGill

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM

Rosalie Robtaille, Laval

Jany Priud'Homme, UQAM

Sara Ricciardelli, Montréal

Raphaëlle Lanctot, Sherbrooke

Teagan Handley, Bishop's

Léonie Richard, UQAM

Florence Thibeault, Laval

Emma Pancrate, UQTR

Emma Deschatelets, Bishop's

Amélie Beaudet-Gaudette, McGill

Jenny Harrison, Sherbrooke

 
SOURCE

Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
WEBSITE:www.mcgillathletics.ca
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca