IRVINE, Calif. — The Big West has unveiled its 2023 all-conference teams and major award winners ahead of Sunday's start to the Big West Women's Soccer Championship.
Cherrie Cox, a sophomore forward from Long Beach State, is The Big West Offensive Player of the Year. Cox also boasts 2022 Big West Freshman of the Year accolades from a year ago.
Leslie Fregoso is the Big West Midfielder of the Year while Tracy Hamm is The Big West Coach of the Year, both of UC Davis. Emma Brown from Cal Poly is The Big West Defensive Player of the Year following an appearance on the All-Big West First Team last season. Cal State Fullerton's duo of Mia Ranson and Kaylee Noble earned Goalkeeper and Freshman of the Year Honors, respectively.
A native of Torrance, Calif., Cox has started all 16 contests in 2023 leading the league in goals (13), points (30), shots on goal (32), and dished out five assists.
Cox gives the Beach a sixth Big West Offensive Player of the Year award, following Lena Silano in 2019, Kim Silos in 2006, two-time recipient Nadia Link (2011-12), and Ashley Gonzales in 2016. A conference-best two Big West Offensive Player of the Week Awards were earned by Cox this fall.
Fregoso, a senior from Live Oak, Calif., started in all 18 matches for the Aggies and accumulated 17 points off six scores and five assists. Fregoso tops UC Davis in scoring, points, shots per game (3.06), and shots on frame (27).
Cal Poly's Emma Brown helped anchor down a Mustang's backline that notched three shutouts this season. Cal Poly only allowed 1.17 goals per game this season, ranking third overall in The Big West alongside a 1.167 GAA. Brown is also the first Cal Poly player to win Big West Defensive Player of the Year honors since Julianne Grinstead in 2009.
Ranson paces The Big West with 88 saves, and seven shutouts this season. The redshirt-sophomore ranks 39th nationally in save percentage (.838) in all 18 starts for the Titans. Currently, Cal State Fullerton is sporting a five-game winning streak with Ranson not allowing a single score within the last five contests. Ranson recorded a conference-high three Big West Defensive Player of the Week awards, the most since the inception of the award in 2010.
Kaylee Noble collects Freshman of the Year accolades for the first time for Cal State Fullerton since Morgan Batcheller earned the right in 2015. The true freshman scored eight points featuring three tallies and two assists. Noble scored the Titans two tallies during the team's 2-1 road victory versus Cal Poly on Sept. 28.
Tracy Hamm has received the Big West Coach of the Year milestone for the first time in her Big West tenure. Hamm directed the Aggies to a 6-2-2 record in league play (10-6-2 overall) and secured the No. 2 seed in The Big West Women's Soccer Championship in back-to-back seasons. Heading into The Big West Women's Soccer Championship, the Aggies are currently riding a three-match winning streak, all in shutout fashion.
Bella Cruz, Makayla Demelo, and Tati Fung round out the list of midfielders awarded to All-Big West First Team list. Cruz contributed 10 points to the Titans (3 goals, 4 assists), while Demelo distributed four assists and notched a tally for the Beach during the regular season. Fung manufactured a league-leading eight assists during the Fullerton Calif. native's junior season while also scoring a pair of goals.
UC Irvine saw two more student-athletes receive All-Big West recognition with redshirt junior forward Alyssa Moore and junior defender Kiera Smeenge. Moore made the list courtesy of six scores and five assists, totaling 17 points. The forward has scored six times each season and reached a career-best in assists this season. Smeenge started twelve contests and helped solidify an Anteater back line that only allowed 23 goals on the year, ranking fourth best in The Big West.
Cal State Fullerton lands two more representatives on the All-Big West list promoting junior forward Makenna McGill and sophomore defender Kaylin Raibon. McGill makes the team after scoring four goals in 16 starts. The forward netted two tallies in the Titan's 3-0 defeat of Long Beach State on Oct. 22. Raibon's five scores on the year rank the sophomore 10th overall in The Big West but first overall on the Titans.
Amber Gilbert represents Hawai'i on the First Team. The redshirt-sophomore places third in the conference with seven scores and leads the Rainbow Wahine in the category. Gilbert recorded two multi-tally games during the season.
Long Beach State also sees Maddy Perez make the All-Big West first team for the third straight season. The junior found the back of the net once and dished out two assists offensively but played an important role on The Beach's backend. Perez also carries 2021 Big West Freshman of the Year recognition on the defender's resume.
Eliza Ammendolia, Brooklyn Antonucci, Lauren Helwig, Glo Hinojosa, Jacey Jicha, Elysia Laramie, Bella Mayo, Katelyn Meyer, Kate Reedy, Mackenzie Samuel, Annika Smith, Risa Yamada were all awarded All-Big West Second Team honors.
Big West Freshman of the Year Noble leads the way on the All-Big West Freshman team featuring Antonucci, Izzy Ayala, Emily Caughey, Karize Madero, Sophia Minnite, Sophia Moness, Elise Picard, Smith, Kana Uchida, and Lavinia Vaipulu.
The Big West Women's Soccer Championship begins Sunday with a pair of first-round tilts at higher-seeded campus sites. Sixth-seeded Hawai'i is at No. 3 seed Cal Poly at 2 p.m., and fifth-seeded UC Irvine plays at No. 4 seed Long Beach State at 6 p.m.
Regular-season champion and top seed Cal State Fullerton welcomes Sunday's two advancing sides, as well as No. 2 seed UC Davis, for the semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 2.
Kickoff times at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif. are 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The Titans will then also serve as hosts for the championship game on Sunday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m., with the winner gaining The Big West's automatic bid into the 2022 NCAA Championship. All six Big West Championship matches are scheduled to air live on ESPN+.
| The Big West 2023 Women's Soccer All-Conference Team |
| Offensive Player of the Year: Cherrie Cox, Long Beach State |
| Midfielder of the Year: Leslie Fregoso, UC Davis |
| Defensive Player of the Year: Emma Brown, Cal Poly |
| Goalkeeper of the Year: Mia Ranson, Cal State Fullerton |
| Freshman of the Year: Kaylee Noble, Cal State Fullerton |
| Coach of the Year: Tracy Hamm, UC Davis |
| All-Big West First Team |
|
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Position |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Emma Brown |
Jr. |
D |
Cal Poly |
Clovis, Calif. |
| Cherrie Cox |
So. |
F |
Long Beach State |
Torrance, Calif. |
| Bella Cruz |
So. |
MF |
Cal State Fullerton |
Kerman, Calif. |
| Makayla Demelo |
Jr. |
MF |
Long Beach State |
Bellflower, Calif. |
| Leslie Fregoso |
Sr. |
MF |
UC Davis |
Live Oak, Calif. |
| Tati Fung |
Jr. |
MF |
UC Irvine |
Fullerton, Calif. |
| Amber Gilbert |
R-So. |
F |
Hawai'i |
Honolulu, O'ahu |
| Makenna McGill |
Jr. |
F |
Cal State Fullerton |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
| Alyssa Moore |
R-Jr. |
F |
UC Irvine |
Menifee, Calif. |
| Maddy Perez |
Jr. |
D |
Long Beach State |
West Covina, Calif. |
| Mia Ranson |
R-So. |
GK |
Cal State Fullerton |
Oxnard, Calif. |
| Kaylin Raibon |
So. |
D |
Cal State Fullerton |
Laguna Niguel, Calif. |
| Kiera Smeenge |
Jr. |
D |
UC Irvine |
La Mesa, Calif. |
| All-Big West Second Team |
|
|
| Student-Athlete |
Year |
Position |
Institution |
Hometown |
| Eliza Ammendolia |
Gr. |
MF |
Hawai'i |
Griffith, New South Wales |
| Brooklyn Antonucci |
Fr. |
D |
Long Beach State |
Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. |
| Lauren Helwig |
Sr. |
MF |
UC Santa Barbara |
El Dorado Hills, Calif. |
| Glo Hinojosa |
Gr. |
GK |
UC Irvine |
Chula Vista, Calif. |
| Jacey Jicha |
Jr. |
D |
Hawai'i |
Mililani, O'ahu |
| Elysia Laramie |
R-Sr. |
F |
Long Beach State |
Simi Valley, Calif. |
| Bella Mayo |
Jr. |
D |
UC Davis |
Pleasanton, Calif. |
| Katelyn Meyer |
Gr. |
D |
UC San Diego |
Campbell, Calif. |
| Kate Reedy |
Sr. |
F |
Cal Poly |
Pleasanton, Calif. |
| Mackenzie Samuel |
Jr. |
GK |
Cal Poly |
San Diego, Calif. |
| Annika Smith |
Fr. |
F |
Cal Poly |
Scottsdale, Ariz. |
| Risa Yamada |
R-Jr. |
MF |
UC Davis |
Fukuyama, Hiroshima, Japan |
| Honorable Mention: F — Daphane Mendez (Jr; UC Riverside); Izabel Reyes (R-Jr., CSUN); Sam Tristan (Jr., UC Davis); MF — Gianna Creighton (Sr., UC Irvine); Spenser Gonzales (So; UC Riverside); Dome Rodriguez (Sr., Cal State Bakersfield); D — Penny Smith (Jr., Cal State Bakersfield); Camryn Penn (So., Cal Poly); Marieke ten Brink (R-So., UC Riverside); GK — Zora Standifer (Jr., Long Beach State) |
| All-Freshman Team |
|
|
| Brooklyn Antonucci (Long Beach State); Izzy Ayala (Hawai’i); Emily Caughey (UC Santa Barbara); Karize Madero (UC San Diego); Sophia Minnite (Cal Poly); Sophia Moness (Cal Poly); Kaylee Noble (Cal State Fullerton); Elise Picard (UC Davis); Annika Smith (Cal Poly); Kana Uchida (Long Beach State); Lavinia Vaipulu (UC Riverside) |