ORU Soccer Players Haul In Awards

Oral Roberts soccer players Jennifer Abernathy and Lauren Parks received high honors from Southland Conference voters on Tuesday, as they were both listed as first-team All-Conference members, the league announced on Tuesday.

Both Abernathy and Parks were pre-season selections on the second team.

Joining the first teamers with Southland postseason honors was second team selection Megan Giles, and honorable mentions Kayla Keller, Whitney Booth, Allison Hall and Helen Erb.

Stephen F. Austin's Kylie Louw took home the player of the year award, while Ladyjack coach Tony Amato was named the conference's coach of the year. Sam Houston State goalie Kylie Hambleton was named freshman of the year and the conference's top goal scorer, Adriana Lucar of Central Arkansas, was named newcomer of the year.

ORU's Abernathy, a junior midfielder, was second on the Golden Eagle squad with 11 points, including three goals and five assists. Her three goals came in a pair of victories over conference foe Northwestern State.

Parks anchored a defense that came up in the clutch on several occasions this season for the Golden Eagles, squeaking out four double-overtime victories. The senior defender was named defensive player of the week three times in 2012, while adding two goals and an assist on the offensive side of the ball.

In just her second season, Giles had a huge impact on the success of the Golden Eagles, helping them to the most wins since 2004 with 11 regular season victories. Her season was highlighted by overtime goals at Oklahoma and Nicholls State, just two of her four total game-winners. The Tulsa native also led the Golden Eagles during regular season play with seven assists.

Topping the honorable mention list for the Golden Eagles was Kayla Keller. A freshman of the year nominee, Keller netted a team-high six goals and recorded three assists. She was joined by Booth, a senior forward, who put in a pair of goals this season, including the game-winner in overtime at McNeese State on Oct. 12.

Hall, a senior defender from Tulsa, picks up the honorable mention a day after she was awarded the conference's final defensive player of the week award in 2012, her second of the year. She played a key role on a stout defensive, while adding three goals, highlighted by the "golden goal" over the weekend at Central Arkansas.

Rounding out the awards was the Golden Eagle sophomore keeper, Erb. She earned eight shutouts in 18 games between the posts, tying a school record for shutouts in a season. She also continues to move up the ORU all-time lists for shutouts, saves and victories. Erb was named the conference keeper of the week five times in a six week stretch during the season.