Lustic, Adrien Earn Individual NCAC Awards; Six Scots All-Conference

Erin Lustic

Winnie Adrien

The two College of Wooster women’s soccer players who sparked an offense that averaged 2.32 goals during the 2006 season were recognized Wednesday with two of the North Coast Athletic Conference’s individual awards, as forwards Erin Lustic (Cleveland Hts., Ohio / Cleveland Heights) and Winnie Adrien (Selden, N.Y. / Blair Academy – N.J.) were voted the Offensive Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively, as announced by the NCAC office.

Joining Adrien and Lustic on the All-NCAC First Team from the Fighting Scots was junior defender Laura Ayer (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Mt. Lebanon), while senior midfielder Sarah Schostarez (Portage, Mich. / Portage Northern) was picked for second-team accolades and freshman midfielder Chantal Koechli (Brighton, Mich. / Brighton) and sophomore defender Kristin McCall (Portage, Mich. / Portage Northern) both received honorable mention.

Lustic, a senior and now three-time first-team all-conference selection, is the first from Wooster to be an NCAC Player of the Year since goalkeeper Becca Scina nabbed the defensive award in 2003. Lustic finished 2006 as the league’s second-leading scorer, tallying 1.47 points per game while totaling 28 points for the second season in a row on 10 goals and eight assists. She scored in 12 of the Scots’ 19 matches, highlighted by four-point outings against NCAC opponents Hiram College and Oberlin College, and became the school’s career assist leader. Lustic ended up with 24 helpers, in addition to 24 goals, making her the fourth-highest scorer in team history (72).

Adrien, the first Scot named NCAC Newcomer of the Year since Becky Koishor in 1996, exploded on to the scene this fall. Adrien led the conference in scoring, averaging 2.00 points and nearly broke Wooster’s 19-year old scoring record with 38 total tallies. The Scots’ best mark remains Cathie Docherty’s, though, as she had 39 in 1987. Adrien’s output came on 15 goals and eight assists, and she had six games with a goal and an assist, including a seven-point match against Case Western Reserve University Sept. 9, a six-pointer against Heidelberg College on Sept. 20, and five at Mt. Union College Sept. 26.

Ayer was the anchor of Wooster’s backfield once again, as she picked up her third All-NCAC nod and second in a row on the first team. The Scots yielded just over a goal a game (1.05), with seven shutouts, thanks to Ayer and her fellow defenders who averaged just 9.74 shots allowed. Ayer also was a factor on the offensive end, scoring her second career goal and adding an assist for three points. She has now started each of Wooster’s last 47 matches, 19 this past season.

Schostarez closes her career with a third-straight mention on the All-NCAC Second Team. In 2006, an injury limited her playing time early on, but she still ended up as the Scots’ third-leading scorer with 12 points coming on four goals and four assists during 18 matches played, including 14 starts. That elevated her career totals to 18 goals and 21 assists for 57 points – No. 6 in school history.

Koechli made her presence felt immediately, as the first-year started 18 of 19 matches and finished third on the squad in assists with six. Overall, she was fourth in scoring with eight points. Many of her helpers came on corners, regularly setting up her teammates in the box, and she also handled several free kicks.

McCall missed the season’s first eight games due to injury and didn’t start until the final seven, however, made enough of an impact during her field action to earn the first postseason honor of her career. In the matches McCall started, the Wooster defense allowed one or less goal in four of seven.

As a team, the Scots completed 2006 with a 12-6-1 overall record (.658) and tied for third-place in the highly-competitive NCAC (5-2-1), finishing just one more victory shy of winning the championship. Wooster went on to lose to second-seeded Wittenberg University 2-0 in the NCAC Tournament semifinals.