Liz Palmer earns All Conference honors

 SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Four Elon women’s soccer players were recognized with All-Southern Conference honors on Wednesday, including Phoenix freshman Claire O’Keefe who became the program’s first-ever first-team all-conference selection. Senior forward Molly Calpin earned second-team recognition while O’Keefe, Scarlett Fakhar and Elizabeth Palmer (Legacy Alumni) were named to the league’s all-freshman team. The teams were chosen through balloting done by the league’s head coaches.

“I am very happy that four team members have received recognition from the other coaches,” said Elon head coach Chris Neal. “I am excited for these players and for our program. However, soccer is very much a team sport. None of this would be possible without the tremendous efforts of each and every team member. These awards will help us carry a great amount of pride and confidence into our 2010 season.”

UNC Greensboro freshman Tabitha Padgett and Samford senior forward Amber Cress were named co-players of the year. The Citadel’s Bob Winch was named the SoCon Coach of the Year and Padgett was also tabbed freshman of the year.

O’Keefe, a defender out of Greensboro, N.C., helped anchor an Elon defense that produced seven shutouts on the season, the most since the 1999 squad tallied nine clean slates. The rookie started in all 19 contests during the year, helping Elon to its best-ever Southern Conference record at 7-3-1. Elon’s 0.71 goals against average ranked second in the league.

“It is quite an honor for Claire, especially as a freshman, to be the first Elon women’s soccer player to be named first-team All-SoCon,” Neal said. “She was a rock at the back for us this season and I am very excited to see how she develops as a player.”

Calpin had one of the strongest seasons of her four-year career, leading Elon with six goals on the year. Five of her strikes were game-winners, including her golden goal with 17 seconds on the clock to lift the Phoenix to its first-ever victory against SoCon foe Furman. Calpin finished her collegiate career with 17 goals, eight assists and 42 points.

“As a senior that has given so much to our program, Molly is very deserving of second-team all-conference honors,” commented Neal. “She led the league in game-winning goals this year and faced a tremendous amount of adversity along the way. She, as well as our other seniors, worked very hard to build our team into a nationally competitive program.”

Fakhar was a force to be reckoned with in the Elon midfield in her first season. The native of Newark, Del., started in 10 of the 18 games in which she played. Fakhar scored three goals, helping Elon to wins over Furman, Chattanooga and The Citadel. Her three markers were tied for third-most on the squad.

Palmer led the SoCon with 11 assists and ranked second on the team with 11 total points. She finished the season ranked in the top 10 in the nation in assists per game. The defender helped on three goals in Elon’s 5-1 victory against Chattanooga while also assisted on the game-winner against Western Carolina to give the Phoenix its first-ever win over the Catamounts. Palmer assisted on the winning scores against UNC Asheville and Jacksonville State as well.

“Scarlett, Claire and Liz were great for us this year and are very deserving of all-freshman team recognition,” noted Neal. “Liz led the league in assists and Scarlett scored three huge goals for us from the defensive center midfield position.”

Elon had one of the strongest seasons in program history, posting the most victories (12) since the Phoenix made the move to Division I in 1999 and most since 1996. After being picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll, Elon played its final game of the regular season with a chance at the league crown. The Phoenix ultimately ended the year in a tie for fourth place in the league standings, but a tiebreaker knocked them out of contention for the newly formatted four-team SoCon Tournament. The four All-SoCon selections are the most-ever for the women’s soccer program in one year.