Soccer Celebrates Seniors, 2019 Campaign at Annual Banquet
February 23, 2020 | Women's Soccer
Red Raiders reflect on fall campaign, present awards at The Overton.
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech soccer presented end-of-season awards at its annual banquet Saturday. While six Red Raiders were recognized with individual awards, the team as a whole celebrated a tremendous 2019 campaign.Â
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Last fall saw Tech rack up 15 wins, its most since 2015. Tech tallied 20 points in Big 12 play, tying the program record from 2013. The Red Raiders successfully defended the John Walker Soccer Complex six times in front of an average of 1,000 fans, a figure that ranks 24th in the country. Tech then went on to win six of seven road contests, making them a national seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.
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Following Stone's recap of the season, he and the staff presented seven team-voted awards to several Red Raiders. The award winners were voted on by the team, with the exception of the Adam Zuniga Award for Courage, which Stone himself bestows.Â
Most Valuable Player – Kirsten Davis
If 2018 was a breakout year for Kirsten Davis, 2019 was an explosive one. The junior was hot from the beginning, scoring 10 goals in Tech's first nine games to mark what is comfortably the fastest scoring start in school history. Davis was never afraid to share the ball with any of the 11 other Red Raiders who tallied goals last fall, either, picking up seven assists for the second straight season. She led the Big 12 in scoring through the conference tournament with 16 and in points with 38. For the dominance, she was named Tech's third-ever First Team All-American in addition to being voted First Team All-Big 12 and First Team All-Midwest. She was also a semifinalist for the most prestigious award in college soccer, the MAC Hermann Trophy.Â
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Offensive Most Valuable Player – Kirsten DavisÂ
Another title Kirsten Davis was presented with was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, making her more than deserving of the team's Offensive MVP award. Davis' 39 points in 2019 were the second-most for a single season in program history. She also tied former Tech All-American Janine Beckie for the single-season program record for game-winning goals with six.Â
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Defensive Most Valuable Player – Cassie Hiatt
Tasked with entering her sophomore season as the lone returning member of the Tech back line, Cassie Hiatt answered with an All-America-worthy campaign. Hiatt's naming as a Third Team All-American made her the youngest in program history. After helping Tech to the conference lead in goals against for a second straight year, Hiatt, who was Tech's lone Preseason All-Big 12 pick, was an easy choice for the All-Big 12 and All-Midwest first teams.Â
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Most Improved Player – Macy Schultz
Beginning the year as a budding talent on a deep offensive Tech team, Macy Schultz quickly emerged as one of Stone's first options off the bench. The freshman played in all 22 games in her debut season in Lubbock and scored three times while also tallying an assist. Schultz scored her first collegiate goal on a deflection against North Texas, then knocked in another two weeks later against UC Irvine. With Tech needing a tough two-game road sweep in order to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 crown, Schultz tallied three points with an assist to Davis for the game-winner in Waco before scoring the overtime winner herself at Texas. She was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week that week and, eventually, a Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection. She was also named a TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-100 Freshman at season's end.Â
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Rookie of the Year – Madison White
Last fall brought perhaps one of the most memorable seasons ever by a Tech goalkeeper. Freshman Madison White, who started the season on the sidelines, was rushed into action due to an injury in Tech's upset bid at No. 21 South Florida and went on to make seven incredible saves to clinch the road win. White then shut out No. 18 Oklahoma State in her first career start. She would finish with six shutouts in an outstanding debut campaign, leading to her being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big 12, First Team All-Midwest, and a TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-100 Player. Her weekly heroics were noticed both by the conference and nationally, as she tied the Big 12 record for most weekly awards in a season with five while concurrently finding herself on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week four times. Perhaps her most dramatic moment in a half-season seemingly filled with them came in her first NCAA Tournament game, where she made 11 saves through double overtime, then two diving stops in penalties to send Tech to the next round.Â
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Adam Zuniga Award for Courage – Margaret BegleyÂ
Saturday marked just the third time in Stone's 13-year duration at Tech he felt compelled to present the Adam Zuniga Award for Courage. Dedicated to its namesake, Adam Zuniga, a passionate Tech soccer fan and local youth coach who passed away from cancer in 2011, the award is reserved for a Red Raider who has demonstrated extraordinary spirit and courage in the face of significant adversity. Therefore, it was more than fitting the third-ever recipient of the award be Margaret Begley.
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A defender from Omaha, Neb., Begley fought through back-to-back ACL tears in order to continue her soccer career at Tech. After two long years of rehab, she returned to full health the summer leading into the 2019 season and was voted a captain by her teammates and coaches. Begley was quick to remind everyone that her captainship was not earned solely by the leadership she showed during her two years off the pitch, but by the player she was on it, too. On Aug. 22 at San Diego State, just two minutes into her first appearance in two years, Begley delivered a perfect corner to fellow senior Demi Koulizakis, who headed it in for the goal. Three days later at New Mexico, Begley delivered what would be the first of many game-changing tackles that electrified the Tech sidelines, proving she was in no way afraid to return to the physical player she was known to be. By season's end, Begley would be called upon 19 times to strengthen the dominant Red Raider back line, including three times as a starter.Â
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Strength and Conditioning Award – Gabbie PuenteÂ
Redshirt senior and team captain Gabbie Puente was awarded with the inaugural Strength and Conditioning Award, to be presented annually to a Tech player who shows relentless dedication to better herself in the weight room and during training. Her dedication was evident day in and day out, as Puente, in her fifth year on the team, was an everyday starter for the first time in her career. The Fort Worth native was tasked with leading a back line on which she was the eldest and, for the second half of the season, a freshman goalkeeper. She and her back line answered by holding Big 12 opponents to a mere five goals in conference play and just 18 on the season.Â
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Additionally, the program-record 17 Red Raiders who were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team were rewarded with their trophies. Under Stone, Tech has broken its own program record for academic selections each of the last five years.Â
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Last fall saw Tech rack up 15 wins, its most since 2015. Tech tallied 20 points in Big 12 play, tying the program record from 2013. The Red Raiders successfully defended the John Walker Soccer Complex six times in front of an average of 1,000 fans, a figure that ranks 24th in the country. Tech then went on to win six of seven road contests, making them a national seed in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.
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Following Stone's recap of the season, he and the staff presented seven team-voted awards to several Red Raiders. The award winners were voted on by the team, with the exception of the Adam Zuniga Award for Courage, which Stone himself bestows.Â
Most Valuable Player – Kirsten Davis
If 2018 was a breakout year for Kirsten Davis, 2019 was an explosive one. The junior was hot from the beginning, scoring 10 goals in Tech's first nine games to mark what is comfortably the fastest scoring start in school history. Davis was never afraid to share the ball with any of the 11 other Red Raiders who tallied goals last fall, either, picking up seven assists for the second straight season. She led the Big 12 in scoring through the conference tournament with 16 and in points with 38. For the dominance, she was named Tech's third-ever First Team All-American in addition to being voted First Team All-Big 12 and First Team All-Midwest. She was also a semifinalist for the most prestigious award in college soccer, the MAC Hermann Trophy.Â
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Â?? Team MVP ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @kirstendavis22
Our youngest First Team All-American ever, and an easy choice for the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year.
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/MLdcj7zBeq
Offensive Most Valuable Player – Kirsten DavisÂ
Another title Kirsten Davis was presented with was Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, making her more than deserving of the team's Offensive MVP award. Davis' 39 points in 2019 were the second-most for a single season in program history. She also tied former Tech All-American Janine Beckie for the single-season program record for game-winning goals with six.Â
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Â?? Offensive MVP ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @kirstendavis22
Was any defense ever truly safe from KD?
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/xhLLEZ8ONY
Defensive Most Valuable Player – Cassie Hiatt
Tasked with entering her sophomore season as the lone returning member of the Tech back line, Cassie Hiatt answered with an All-America-worthy campaign. Hiatt's naming as a Third Team All-American made her the youngest in program history. After helping Tech to the conference lead in goals against for a second straight year, Hiatt, who was Tech's lone Preseason All-Big 12 pick, was an easy choice for the All-Big 12 and All-Midwest first teams.Â
Â
Â?? Defensive MVP ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @hiatt_cassie
Lockdown center back rightfully named an All-American, and rightfully named our Defensive MVP.
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/sOPNKIOwxh
Most Improved Player – Macy Schultz
Beginning the year as a budding talent on a deep offensive Tech team, Macy Schultz quickly emerged as one of Stone's first options off the bench. The freshman played in all 22 games in her debut season in Lubbock and scored three times while also tallying an assist. Schultz scored her first collegiate goal on a deflection against North Texas, then knocked in another two weeks later against UC Irvine. With Tech needing a tough two-game road sweep in order to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 crown, Schultz tallied three points with an assist to Davis for the game-winner in Waco before scoring the overtime winner herself at Texas. She was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Week that week and, eventually, a Big 12 All-Freshman Team selection. She was also named a TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-100 Freshman at season's end.Â
Â
Â?? Most Improved Player ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @macyschultz
Joining us after missing two years of soccer due to injury, Macy led all freshmen in points and was a Big 12 All-Freshman honoree.
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/aY4hoPlXph
Rookie of the Year – Madison White
Last fall brought perhaps one of the most memorable seasons ever by a Tech goalkeeper. Freshman Madison White, who started the season on the sidelines, was rushed into action due to an injury in Tech's upset bid at No. 21 South Florida and went on to make seven incredible saves to clinch the road win. White then shut out No. 18 Oklahoma State in her first career start. She would finish with six shutouts in an outstanding debut campaign, leading to her being named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Big 12, First Team All-Midwest, and a TopDrawerSoccer.com Top-100 Player. Her weekly heroics were noticed both by the conference and nationally, as she tied the Big 12 record for most weekly awards in a season with five while concurrently finding herself on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week four times. Perhaps her most dramatic moment in a half-season seemingly filled with them came in her first NCAA Tournament game, where she made 11 saves through double overtime, then two diving stops in penalties to send Tech to the next round.Â
Â
Â?? Rookie of the Year ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @madisonwhiteeee
Redshirt revoked, thrown into action. And she absolutely killed it.
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/MfbOcl5Dwl
Adam Zuniga Award for Courage – Margaret BegleyÂ
Saturday marked just the third time in Stone's 13-year duration at Tech he felt compelled to present the Adam Zuniga Award for Courage. Dedicated to its namesake, Adam Zuniga, a passionate Tech soccer fan and local youth coach who passed away from cancer in 2011, the award is reserved for a Red Raider who has demonstrated extraordinary spirit and courage in the face of significant adversity. Therefore, it was more than fitting the third-ever recipient of the award be Margaret Begley.
Â
A defender from Omaha, Neb., Begley fought through back-to-back ACL tears in order to continue her soccer career at Tech. After two long years of rehab, she returned to full health the summer leading into the 2019 season and was voted a captain by her teammates and coaches. Begley was quick to remind everyone that her captainship was not earned solely by the leadership she showed during her two years off the pitch, but by the player she was on it, too. On Aug. 22 at San Diego State, just two minutes into her first appearance in two years, Begley delivered a perfect corner to fellow senior Demi Koulizakis, who headed it in for the goal. Three days later at New Mexico, Begley delivered what would be the first of many game-changing tackles that electrified the Tech sidelines, proving she was in no way afraid to return to the physical player she was known to be. By season's end, Begley would be called upon 19 times to strengthen the dominant Red Raider back line, including three times as a starter.Â
Â
ÂThis award brings tears to my eyes. Words can't describe how much this team has changed my life. Truly blessed https://t.co/26ngISbFJX
— marge and in charge (@margaret_begley) February 23, 2020
Strength and Conditioning Award – Gabbie PuenteÂ
Redshirt senior and team captain Gabbie Puente was awarded with the inaugural Strength and Conditioning Award, to be presented annually to a Tech player who shows relentless dedication to better herself in the weight room and during training. Her dedication was evident day in and day out, as Puente, in her fifth year on the team, was an everyday starter for the first time in her career. The Fort Worth native was tasked with leading a back line on which she was the eldest and, for the second half of the season, a freshman goalkeeper. She and her back line answered by holding Big 12 opponents to a mere five goals in conference play and just 18 on the season.Â
Â
Â?? Strength & Conditioning Award ??
— Texas Tech Soccer (@TexasTechSoccer) February 23, 2020
?? @gabbiepuente
A leader in the locker room and the weight room. A good captain needs to be both, and that's exactly what Gabbie is.
??#WreckEm?? pic.twitter.com/sjA1g7FwVA
Additionally, the program-record 17 Red Raiders who were named to the Academic All-Big 12 Team were rewarded with their trophies. Under Stone, Tech has broken its own program record for academic selections each of the last five years.Â
Players Mentioned
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defender
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Goalkeeper
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