Colorado University Athletics
Four Buffs Named To All-Region Squad
December 19, 2005 | Soccer
KANSAS CITY - The University of Colorado women's soccer team earned a program-best four spots on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America's All-Central Region team the NSCAA announced on Thursday, Dec. 15. The four players were the most of any team in the Central Region, besting Texas A&M's three selections and Nebraska's two.
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"I'm particularly pleased for our kids, for this great honor," said head coach Bill Hempen.  "I'm especially happy for those who don't typically get the recognition they deserve."
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Senior midfielder Fran Munnelly (Arvada, Colo.) and junior forward Katie Griffin (Scottsdale, Ariz.) were both named to the first team, while senior goalkeeper Jessica Keller (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) and junior defender Laura Munnelly (Arvada, Colo.) earned second team honors.
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This is Fran Munnelly's third appearance on the first team in her career, and marks a nice week for the Mullen graduate as she was named second team All-America on Dec. 9. These two major honors, coupled with a fourth First Team All-Big 12 selection, a Big 12 10th Anniversary team pick and becoming the first CU athlete to have her jersey honored while still in school make her one of the all-time Buff greats.
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Griffin's selection to the first team marks the highest honors of her career, after earning third team all region honors a year ago and being a three-time second team All-Big 12 pick. Â Griffin was named to the Big 12 All-Tournament team earlier this season. She led the Buffs in scoring with a school record 12 goals, and will next take aim at Fran Munnelly's career goals mark of 30. Â Griffin has 27 in her three seasons at CU.
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"Well Fran speaks for herself I think, and as for Katie Griffin, this is a reflection of the fact that she is a big time player," said Hempen. "I have always thought of Katie that way, and I'm pleased to see others agree. We're very happy to have her back next year, along with Laura, who our anchor in the back of the defense."
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Keller's honor ends her season on a high note after her senior year was cut short against Kansas on Oct. 16 when she suffered a badly broken ankle that required surgery soon after. Keller is CU's leader in virtually every career goalkeeping statistic, including shutouts, wins and goals against average.
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"I'm very happy for Jess Keller to get honored even though she was injured about two thirds of the way through the season. She has been a great goalkeeper for us and hasn't really received honors that reflect her contributions to our team. So this is a nice honor for her.
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This marks Laura Munnelly's first appearance on the all-region team, perhaps because as a defender, her contributions are overlooked. She has played all but 17 minutes of every game in her career, and only came off for those 17 minutes due to injury.  She has been a stalwart in the CU defense for three years, and together with Griffin will be back to lead a fourth-straight run at the NCAA Tournament for the Buffaloes.
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NSCAA/adidas                                                                                 Â
All America Committee                                                                                                   Â
2005 National Soccer Coaches Association Of America                                                   Â
Central Regional Teams                                                                    Â
Senior College Women                                                                     Â
Division I Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
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FIRST TEAM Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Position         Name                        Class      School           Hometown
Goalkeeper     Tyler Griffin                JR          Vanderbilt      Charlotte, N.C.
Defender        Holly Gault                 JR          Kansas           Spring Hill, Kan.
Defender        Kasey Moore             FR          Texas             Mission Viejo, Calif.
Defender        Kim Perkins               JR          Vanderbilt       Highland Ranch, Colo.
Midfield          Ali Christoph              JR          Tennessee      Columbus, Ohio
Midfield          Jennifer Hance           FR          Ole Miss         Sugar Land, Texas
Midfield          Courtney Hulcer         JR          St. Louis        St. Louis, Mo.
Midfield          Fran Munnelly            SR          Colorado        Arvada, Colo.
Forward          Katie Griffin               JR          Colorado        Scottsdale, Ariz.
Forward          Ashlee Pistorius         SO         Texas A&M     Bloomington, Ill.
Forward          Brittany Timko            JR          Nebraska        Coquitlam, B.C.
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SECOND TEAMÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Goalkeeper     Jessica Keller            SR          Colorado        Highlands Ranch, Colo.
Defender        Sasha Andrews          SR          Nebraska        Edmonton, Alberta
Defender        Monica Buff               JR          Vanderbilt       Lilburn, Ga.
Defender        Laura Munnelly           JR          Colorado        Arvada, Colo.
Midfield          Kelly Ferguson           SR          St. Louis        St. Louis, Mo.
Midfield          Lauren Maclver           SR          Oklahoma       Tulsa, Okla.
Midfield          Chrissy Strini             SO         Ole Miss         Cordova, Tenn.
Forward          Kimber Bailey            SO         SMU              Garland, Texas
Forward          Melissa Garey            SO         Texas A&M     Gonzales, La.
Forward          Genna Gorman           SO         Tennessee      Lakewood, Colo.
Forward          Maureen Hughes        JR          St. Louis        St. Louis, Mo.
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THIRD TEAM Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Goalkeeper     Joanna Haig              SO         Iowa State      Inver Grover Heights, Minn.
Defender        Susanne Collins         JR          SMU              Boca Raton, Fla
Defender        Erin Droeger              SR          Rice               Huntington Beach, Calif.
Defender        Ivonne Valentin          SR          Creighton       Papillion, Neb.
Midfield          Caitlin Kennedy          SO         Texas             Euless, Texas
Midfield          Sophia Mundy           JR          Houston         Katy, Texas
Midfield          Laura Probst              SR          Texas A&M     Arvada, Colo.
Forward          Kelsey Carpenter        SO         Texas             Allen, Texas
Forward          Shoko Mikami            JR          Memphis        Chiba, Japan
Forward          Kylee Rossi               FR          Tennessee      Pennington, N.J
Forward          Caroline Smith           SR          Kansas           Edina, Minn.
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