Women's Soccer lands 4 on all-conference team

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – After finishing with 10 wins for the second time in the four-year tenure of Head Coach Maddie McLaughlin, four Heidelberg Women's Soccer players received All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors, as announced by the league last Friday. Brigid Enright and Brianna Braatz headlined the quartet, earning first team honors and being named Players of the Year.  Junior standouts Syd Hewer and Olivia Perry took home second team honors.  

Brigid was named OAC Goalkeeper of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to receive the honor. The junior finished with a save percentage of .905, eighth in the nation. With a total of 10 shutouts, she led the OAC in goals against average and was 14th nationally.

Brianna was named Freshman of the Year, marking the first time a Heidelberg women's soccer player has earned the honor. She scored nine goals and registered six assists. She was the top of the conference in shot accuracy.  

Also with nine goals and six assists on the season, Syd provided a strong 1-2 punch with Brianna. Her powerful right foot made her a threat from long range – as evidenced by her two goals in the OAC Tournament at Otterbein.

"Bri and Hewie were a great combination offensively," said Maddie. "They developed great chemistry over the course of the season, and they are both very deserving of recognition."

Olivia helped solidify a dynamic defensive force in front of Brigid.  Flanked by Olivia Dulay and Candyn Paul, Olivia was calm under pressure – playing a substantial role in the team's success.  

"If you look at the season as a whole, Brigid and our backs were locked in every single game for all 90 minutes," Maddie added. "Every time we kicked off, I knew we had a chance to get a result."

Four All-OAC honorees are the most in a single season for Heidelberg since the 2001 team. Brigid and Brianna are the first two OAC Player of the Year selections for the program since Stephanie Buell was named Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.

Predicted to finish ninth in the preseason poll, Heidelberg tied for fourth and went toe-to-toe with perennial power Otterbein in the conference tournament. With 35 points in the standings, the 2024 team saw a 21-point improvement from a year ago – the third-largest year-to-year jump in program history.