Women's Soccer All-Decade Team Announced
Sept. 30, 2005 ST. LOUIS - Celebrating the first 10 years of women's soccer at Saint Louis University, the Billikens announced their All-Decade Team at halftime of tonight's game against Charlotte. The 11-player team features nine St. Louis-area natives, including co-Conference USA Player of the Decade Meghann Burke (St. Louis, Mo./Mehlville) and three current players - Kelly Ferguson (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's), Dee Guempel (St. Louis, Mo./Incarnate Word) and Courtney Hulcer (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's). Burke, the Billikens' goalkeeper from 1999 to 2002, was named co-C-USA Player of the Decade in 2004 after a four-year career in which she became the program's first All-American and the University's first female drafted by a professional team. A two-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, she holds the school and C-USA record for career shutouts at 38. Ferguson, a senior midfielder, is among the program's top 10 with 34 career points and 14 career goals. She is a two-time All-Conference selection and a 2004 NSCAA All-Region Scholar Athlete. Guempel, a junior, was a first-team All-Region and All-Conference midfielder last season and already ranks among the program's all-time leading scorers with 54 points, 18 goals and 18 assists. Hulcer, a junior midfielder, was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Year last season and became the program's second All-American when the NSCAA put her on its second team. She is second in school history with 25 career assists with a school-record 13 of those coming on game-winning goals. Jenny Kehl (Fort Collins, Colo./Fort Collins) was a four-year starter at forward from 1999 to 2002 during which she was a three-time All-Region and All-Conference selection. The school record holder with 34 career assists, she handed out a school-record 12 of those as a senior in 2002.
A two-time All-Conference back, Megan McNiff (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu) steered the Billiken defense from 1999 to 2002. She guided the unit to a then-school record 12 shutouts in 2002 when the team ranked fifth in the nation in shutout percentage and 13th in goals against average. Jamie Perry (St. Louis, Mo./Rockwood Summit) was an All-Conference forward every year of her career from 2001 to 2004. A three-time All-Region selection during that time, she became the program's first 100-point scorer and holds the school records with 104 career points and 41 career goals. From 1997 to 2000, Kathleen Schager (Chicago, Ill./Palatine) controlled the central midfield for the Billikens. A three-time second-team All-Conference selection, she was named to the Soccer Buzz Freshman All-Region team in 1997. Schager also ranks among the program's all-time top 10 in career points, goals and assists. Katie Stewart (St. Louis, Mo./John F. Kennedy) was a two-time All-Conference player while playing both forward and back during her career, which spanned 1996-99. Playing at the back as a senior, she struck the double-overtime penalty kick at Houston that sealed the program's first Conference USA regular-season championship. The leading scorer as a senior on the 1999 championship team, Trisha Underberg (St. Louis, Mo./St. Thomas Aquinas) ended her career (1996-99) as the school-record holder in points, goals, assists and game-winning goals. Still ranked second in all four categories, Underberg was one of two players named NSCAA All-Region in 1999, the first such selections in the program's history. Current assistant coach Kelly Young (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's) was the other player who earned NSCAA All-Region honors in 1999, also earning the selection in 2000. A two-time All-Conference back on the defensive-minded teams from 1997 to 2000, she became the program's first NSCAA Scholar All-American in 2000. Halfway through the program's 10th season, Saint Louis has produced two Conference USA regular-season championships and two All-Americans. In all, head coach Tim Champion has coached 19 different players listed on 37 All-Conference teams and nine NSCAA All-Region players. A two-time C-USA Coach of the Year, he has guided the Billikens to a 113-61-18 record heading into Friday night's game.
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