Soccer Racks Up Sun Belt All-Conference And Specialty Awards
During conference play, TXST won seven consecutive matches, tied for the second longest streak in program history.
New Orleans – After finishing second in the conference standings, the Texas State soccer team placed six players among the two all-conference teams. The Bobcats also picked up three conference specialty awards, the most ever in program history.
Kassi Hormuth was named the Sun Belt’s Offensive Player of the Year after leading the league with five assists during conference play and netting five goals. The Cedar Park, Texas native was also named to the SBC First Team, one of five Bobcats to make the top team and tying the school record set in 2008. She is the second Texas State player in the last three seasons to be named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Hormuth netted three match-winners in conference play to lead TXST for the season and was the second most in the league. She recorded a seven-match point streak that coincided with the Bobcats winning streak of seven contests. The senior forward concluded the regular season tied for third in assists (15), ninth in points (47) and tied for 10 in goal (16) in program history.
Being selected SBC Newcomer of the Year and named first team all-conference was Kaylee Davis. She is the fifth Bobcat ever to earn the newcomer of the year award, first coming in the Sun Belt and first since 2011. The transfer from Sam Houston State scored seven goals and dished out two assists, all of which came during league action. Her seven goals ranked second among all players in SBC matches.
Three times she netted a brace during the season. The sophomore tallied two match-winning goals with the first coming in a 3-1 victory at Georgia State and the other during a 4-2 win against Troy.
Along with the forward duo, Chandler Cooney, Rachel Grout and Heather Martin were all selected to the All-SBC First Team. Grout finished the year leading the team with eight goals and tied for first with six assists, which is tied for the eighth most by a Bobcat in a season. The Dallas native totaled six goals and three assists in conference play.
When Grout has found the back of the net this season, TXST is 7-0 and is averaging 3.4 goals per match. Twice the senior midfielder scored the match-winner to give her six in her career and placing her tied for seventh on the program’s career list.
Cooney concluded the regular season having started all 18 matches at centerback to stretch her consecutive start streak to 52 and playing a team-high 1,425 minutes. She helped the Bobcats record six shutouts this season including a program record tying five in-a-row during SBC play. It is the second time the Houston native has been selected to an all-conference team after being named to the second team in 2015.
Martin started all 10 Sun Belt matches between the posts. The sophomore helped TXST tie the school record for consecutive shutouts with five and lasted for 560:55 minutes. During that time, she was named the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week three times during a four-week span.
The Midlothian, Texas native posted a 0.79 GAA, 44 saves and an .846 save percentage during Sun Belt action. For the season, she has a 0.99 GAA, 54 saves and an .818 save percentage. Martin has 115 career saves to rank seventh in program history and she needs only two more to pass assistant coach Lauren Frazier on the list.
Jordan Kondikoff was the lone Bobcat to be named to the all-conference second team. The scrappy midfielder disrupted opposing teams’ offenses and battled players that were bigger than her constantly from the defensive midfielder position.
The sophomore recorded two assists during conference play with one each coming against Appalachian State and Louisiana at home. She also set a career-high with two assists in a 3-2 double overtime win at Northwestern State on Sept. 1.
Head coach Kat Conner was voted the Sun Belt’s Coach of the Year. She led the Bobcats to a second place finish after being picked seventh in the preseason poll. During conference play, TXST won seven consecutive matches, tied for the second longest streak in program history. The team led all SBC teams in conference play in goals (22), assists (24), points (68), tied for first in shutouts (5) and second in both goals allowed (8) and GAA (0.79).
It is the third time Conner has received honor and first since the Bobcats joined the Sun Belt. She was named the Southland Conference’s Coach of the Year in 2009 and 2008.
Texas State, the No. 2 seed, takes on Coastal Carolina in the first round of the SBC Tournament on Wednesday. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Alabama. The Bobcats look to defeat the Chanticleers for the first time ever after dropping 1-0 decisions the past two regular seasons.
First Team All-Sun Belt
Arola Aparicio Gili (Little Rock, Junior, Forward)
Kaylee Davis (Texas State, Sophomore, Forward)
Rio Hardy (South Alabama, Senior, Forward)
Kassi Hormuth (Texas State, Senior, Forward)
Doro Greulich (Little Rock, Sophomore Midfielder)
Rachel Grout (Texas State, Senior, Midfielder)
Danielle Henley (South Alabama, Senior, Midfielder)
Chandler Cooney (Texas State, Senior, Defender)
Hannah Godfrey (South Alabama, Junior, Defender)
Steffi Hardy (South Alabama, Senior, Defender)
Heather Martin (Texas State, Sophomore, Goalkeeper)
Second Team All-Sun Belt
Kory Dixon (South Alabama, Sophomore, Forward)
Daniella Famili (Coastal Carolina, Senior, Forward)
Sarah Sodoma (Arkansas State, Freshman, Forward)
Selm Bjorgvinsdottir (South Alabama, Freshman, Midfielder)
Chelsea Followwell (South Alabama, Senior, Midfielder)
Jordan Kondikoff (Texas State, Sophomore, Midfielder)
Julia Winter (Troy, Sophomore, Midfielder)
Riley Ebenroth (Arkansas State, Junior, Defender)
Haley Roberson (Troy, Senior, Defender)
Liesa Seifert (Little Rock, Junior, Defender)
Kelsey Ponder (Arkansas State, Junior, Goalkeeper)
2017 Player of the Year
Rio Hardy (South Alabama, Senior, Forward)
2017 Offensive Player of the Year
Kassi Hormuth (Texas State, Senior, Forward)
2017 Defensive Player of the Year
Hannah Godfrey (South Alabama, Junior, Defender)
2017 Freshman of the Year
Sarah Sodoma (Arkansas State, Freshman, Forward)
2017 Newcomer of the Year
Kaylee Davis
2017 Coach of the Year
Kat Conner, Texas State
For more information on the Texas State soccer team, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, like on Facebook at Texas State Soccer and follow on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateSoccer.
