BOCA RATON, Fla. – (Nov. 5, 2019) – The Florida Atlantic University women’s soccer team, on the eve of the Conference USA Championship, saw six members of the program earn 10 All-C-USA honors, which includes three of the eight possible league-wide superlative awards as voted on by the member coaches.
Leading goal scorer Mary O’Hara was voted as Midfielder of the Year, centerback Luisa Daikeler is Co-Freshman of the Year, and head coach Patrick Baker, for the second straight season, is C-USA Coach of the Year.
Further, three Owls earned All-C-USA First Team honors in O’Hara, forward Pernille Velta and defender Alex Maxson; goalkeeper Cassidy Wasdin was named to the Second Team and as All-Freshman; and fellow first-year Daikeler was chosen both to the Third Team and as All-Freshman as well.
Here is a breakdown of the five individual Owls receiving honors, as well as the coach at the helm:
Patrick Baker – C-USA Coach of the Year
Baker has received this accolade three of the last five years (2015, 2018 and now 2019). The Owls matched last season’s 8-1-1 C-USA mark, but after halving the trophy in 2018, are the outright league regular season champions in 2019. The team’s 14 overall wins to this point is only the sixth time reaching that plateau, and first time since 2005, with a 10-1 mark at home including a 10-game winning streak to finish.
“The Florida Atlantic women’s soccer team has enjoyed one of its best regular seasons ever. Finishing 14-3-1 overall and 8-1-1 in C-USA is a credit to our players, staff and High Performance Team. I am honored that the C-USA coaches considered us worthy of this recognition,” said Baker on his Coach of the Year honors. “There were several teams that posted tremendous seasons – North Texas, Rice, Charlotte and LA Tech among them – and I feel there were a number of coaches who easily could have received this honor as well. The award is a true credit to the overall effort put forth by every member of our program this year: Most importantly our players, Coach (Cameron) Fertenbaugh, Coach (Nikki) Brown, Jenny Ocampo, Ebba Blomqvist and our High Performance Team, are all big pieces to this accomplishment. My staff has been unbelievable again this fall and we have worked hard to build the appropriate culture over the past seven years. After staring 2-2-0 and then to close out the fall 12-1-1 and 8-1-1 in C-USA made for a remarkable ending to the season. Winning back-to-back C-USA regular season titles has given our young ladies a tremendous boost over the weekend and we look forward to competing in this week’s C-USA Tournament.”
“Coach Baker has been remarkable in making sure I could reach my potential and find the right path, even when I was not sure what that path would be,” added junior midfielder Gi Krstec. “His attention and consideration during my injuries have made it possible for me to continue my education and still benefit the team. His skill and instincts have made the FAU Owls a remarkably successful team and put each of us on the path to an exceptional life!”
Mary O’Hara – Midfielder of the Year and First Team All-C-USA
O’Hara leads the Owls and all C-USA midfielders with 10 goals this season, ranking her fourth overall among all conference players regardless of position. With her Senior Night score, she became just the seventh FAU women’s player ever to register double digits in goals in a single season. She also leads the team with 22 points, which ranks her eighth in C-USA. This is her fourth conference honor, as she was All-Freshman and Third Team in 2016, and First Team last year and this year.
“It is such an honor to be chosen as First Team All-Conference and Midfielder of the Year,” said O’Hara. “I wouldn’t be able to receive these awards without the help of my teammates and coaching staff. Winning conference for the second year in a row is very hard to do, and was accomplished through hard work and each person on this team holding themselves to a high standard. I could not have picked a more incredible group of girls to end my college soccer career with and will always be grateful for them. I am excited to begin the conference tournament this week and see what more we can accomplish in this season.”
“Mary has been a tremendous performer for us all year; she had a quality preseason, impactful non-conference season and an excellent C-USA campaign,” said Baker. “I’m really proud of her consistency this fall and she has provided some great goal production as well. Scoring 10 goals from the attacking midfield position is no easy task and she could have scored a handful more as well. There is no doubt that she is playing her best soccer as our attacking center midfielder and is one of the best in C-USA. Her ability to take people off the dribble and create opportunities with hardly any space is impressive. Mary works equally as hard on the defensive side of the ball as well, which makes her an even more complete player. I always feel we have a chance to win with Mary and she can change the complexion of a game with one run, pass or shot. She and her senior classmates have left a lasting legacy on the FAU women’s soccer program.”
Luisa Daikeler – Co-Freshman of the Year, Third Team All-C-USA and C-USA All-Freshman
Daikeler pulls off this trifecta after a brilliant debut campaign, settling in at centerback alongside her senior teammate Maxson to start nine of 13 matches and total 971 minutes on the pitch. She stayed on for the full time in a span of nine of 10 matches, seven of which were in C-USA play, and earned Defensive Player of the Week honors after wins over North Texas and Rice. She also aided the Owls in holding a 0.87 goals-against average against C-USA opponents.
“Being named Co-Freshman of the Year is probably the biggest award that I received so far,” said Daikeler. “It’s a big honor, but it would not have been possible without this amazing team around me, that makes it super easy for me to look good on the field. Being selected Third Team All-Conference and to the All-Freshman Team are big honors for me as well, and it motivates me to support my team in any way possible for the upcoming games at the conference tournament. These awards would not have been possible without the coaching staff and all of the other 29 team members!”
“Luisa has been a wonderful addition to our backline since her arrival in July to FAU,” said Baker. “She has brought talent, quality distribution and high-level soccer IQ to our team; her abilities on both sides of the ball are special. She reads the game well, possesses a big time heading presence, has a great range of passes and makes it difficult for opponents to break us down. Her partnership with Alex Maxson in the heart of our defense has been a big reason we have enjoyed the season we have had thus far. Louisa’s experiences at the German youth national levels have prepared her well for the rigors of college soccer. We are excited for her to be recognized as a quality young player and to be named Co-Freshman of the Year, the first in FAU C-USA history.”
Alex Maxson – First Team All-C-USA
Maxson has, for the fourth straight year, been a stabilizing and dominant force at centerback as she has drawn the start in all 18 matches while pacing the team with 1,582 minutes on the pitch. That includes the full time in 12 matches – for 44 times now in her career – and leading a defense that has allowed just 16 goals (0.88 per match) and has dealt five shutouts. She moves up to the First Team after being a Third Team honoree a year ago.
“It’s an honor to be recognized for all my hard work on the field by being named to the All-Conference First Team,” said Maxson. “None of this would be possible without the support of my teammates and coaching staff. This is truly a team effort and the entire defense should share this with me. This recognition, combined with our second consecutive regular season conference championship, has made for an amazing culmination of my final year as a member of the FAU women’s soccer team.”
“Alex has been a four-year starter at centerback and has led the back line again in 2019,” said Baker. “She played alongside Erica Burt, Ebba Blomqvist and now Louisa Daikeler through her career and has grown a great deal throughout her career. Each year at FAU, she improved her game and this fall has been her best season as an Owl. Her defensive footwork, communication, closing angles, heading prowess and playmaking abilities have been highlighted again this year. Alex has taken great pride in being a key component in our stingy back four over the past few years. She has been essential to our success as anyone and leaves big shoes to fill in 2020. We are proud of Alex’s consistent play this year and is very deserving of First Team recognition.”
Pernille Velta – First Team All-C-USA
Velta has had a tremendous senior season that sees her ranks sixth among all C-USA players in goals, with eight, plus finishing the regular season just one off the Owls’ team lead with four assists. Total it up and that’s 20 points, also putting her among the league leaders in ninth place. Three of her goals came during arguably the team’s toughest conference weekend, versus North Texas and Rice, and she added an assist on the game-winner in the latter, which helped to earn her C-USA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
“It’s such an honor for me to receive this recognition, especially in my last season with FAU,” said Velta. “I’m beyond proud to be a part of this program and I want to thank my teammates and coaches for pushing me every day to be a better player. We have had such a successful season this year, and winning the regular season conference championship for the second time just shows how much our hard work is paying off. We are very excited and motivated going into conference tournament, and I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls to finish my senior year with.”
“We needed one of our seniors to have a breakout season and that player for us was Pernille Velta,” said Baker. “She has been a consistent starter throughout her career, but this year Pernille has played her best soccer, and at times, has been our top player. She has created chances for others and scored goals in big moments, which has made her a dual threat in our attack. Pernille has tallied eight goals and four assists – with her only two-goal performance coming last weekend vs. Rice. She garnered points in half of our games and that has meant a great deal to our special season. Pernille has the ability to change a game with great back-to-goal play or through a composed finish in a frantic moment. I couldn’t be more happy for a player her senior year to be recognized as one of the top players in C-USA. Pernille has been at her best down the stretch and has helped the team to back-to-back regular season championships.”
Cassidy Wasdin – Second Team All-C-USA and C-USA All-Freshman
Wasdin, who on Monday was named for the fourth time this season as C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week, has shined during her redshirt freshman campaign. In her first year in goal, she has a 0.88 goals-against average, which is second in C-USA (as well as the sixth-lowest mark in program history). She also has been in the net for 13 of the team’s 14 wins, which is tied for fourth all-time, and has had four full shutouts, sixth among league keepers.
“It’s truly an honor to be recognized as the C-USA Second Team goalkeeper and to the All-Freshman Team,” said Wasdin. “It’s been a long year with a lot of ups and downs. I went from the first day of preseason last year, wearing tennis shoes, planning to just be a helper/cheerleader on the sidelines, to this year, starting in my first college game against Florida. It’s been a year of growing, learning, working hard, and trusting that God is in control. I am blessed with a great support system of family and friends, as well as my coaches and incredible teammates who have encouraged me, supported me, and helped me grow as a goalkeeper in the past year. I can’t wait to start my first C-USA tournament surrounded by this team of amazingly talented girls.”
“We are very excited to see Cassidy Wasdin be named Second Team by the C-USA coaches this year,” said Baker. “As a freshman, filling Jenny Ocampo’s shoes was going to be no easy task. But to her credit, she has started her career at Florida Atlantic University in a big way. Cassidy and Bri have been learning and growing as goalkeepers under Coach Fertenbaugh all season, and their best performances are still ahead of them. Being selected four times as the C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week as a freshman is pretty remarkable. This year her kicking game, footwork and ability to deal with crosses has been a real testament to her overall game. Cassidy has enjoyed a senior-laden lineup in front of her, but has shown the drive and commitment of a young talented goalkeeper since day one. Her story over the last two years is pretty impressive and her perseverance has led to a remarkable year in goal for FAU.”
“I’m so proud of Cass and glad she was recognized as one of the best goalkeepers in the conference,” added Fertenbaugh. “When you look back at how far she has come this year it is quite amazing. Back in the beginning of the spring, she was struggling with doing the simple things right, but she powered through it and developed an incredible amount. Her work ethic, mentality, and attitude have driven her to be successful this whole year.”
The five Owls making the three All-Conference teams matches the most in the Coach Baker era, with that number of awardees also occurring in 2015, 2016 and 2018. It is the most the team has had since nine Atlantic Sun honors in 2005. This is the fourth straight year with at least one Owl named All-Freshman, and six over that four-year span. In the C-USA era, there have been nine All-Freshman members in seven years, while all-time, since 2001, there have been 20 occurrences. Finally, O’Hara and Daikeler’s individual awards are the third and fourth since joining C-USA, following Sydney Drinkwater (Goalkeeper of the Year in 2016) and Olivia MBala (Defensive Player of the Year in 2014). That, along with Coach Baker’s nod, makes for 14 all-time conference superlative awards in the program’s 29th year.
The Owls are now in Denton, Texas, in preparation for the 2019 C-USA Championship. Tuesday is a practice day, with Wednesday beginning the quarterfinal round. FAU vs. Louisiana Tech kicks off play at 12:30 p.m. Eastern, with streaming on ESPN+.
– FAUSports.com –
Florida Atlantic University Athletics:
FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.
About Florida Atlantic University:
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.
