Mercer’s Thomason named SoCon Women’s Soccer Player of the Year

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer forward Larkin Thomason has been named the Southern Conference Player of the Year and Western Carolina midfielder Ava Robitaille was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year. The Catamounts’ head coach, Chad Miller, was named SoCon Coach of the Year after his squad captured its second straight outright SoCon regular-season title. UNCG forward Merle Greulich was tabbed SoCon Freshman of the Year.
 
The league coaches voted on a pair of all-conference teams, an all-freshman team and the four individual awards. They were not allowed to vote for themselves or their own players. The first team and second team each includes 11 players, both voted on by position. The all-freshman team also consists of 11 players but gives no regard to position.
 
Western Carolina leads the way with six players on the all-conference teams, with Mercer behind with five selections. Furman and Samford each had three selections, while ETSU and Chattanooga had two apiece. UNCG had one player on the all-conference teams.

Thomason scored a conference-best 14 points during SoCon games. The sophomore from Scottsdale, Arizona, also tied for the league-lead in goals (5) during conference competition. Thomason, who was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, scored a goal in seven straight matches during the nonconference season, including a hat trick against UNC Asheville on Aug. 25. Thomason becomes Mercer’s second SoCon Player of the Year, joining 2019 winner Nicole Icen.

Robitaille anchored the Western Carolina defense that gave up just eight goals all season, with just one of those coming in SoCon play. The native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, started each conference match for the Catamounts and had eight shots on goal to contribute to the Western Carolina offensive attack during league games. The junior is the first SoCon Defensive Player of the Year in program history. Western Carolina has had a previous player of the year recipient, with Isabella DeMarco winning SoCon Player of the Year in 2023.
 
Greulich made an immediate impact on the UNCG offense as she started seven of the team’s nine conference matches. The native of Dortmund, Germany, finished the season with four goals scored, all coming in league matches, with one being a game winner against Wofford on Oct. 6. Greulich is the ninth Spartan to be named SoCon Freshman of the Year, with Nicole Souply being the most recent in 2018.

Miller, in his 15^th season at the helm of the Catamounts, earns coach of the year honors for the second straight season. Western Carolina finished 8-0-1 in league play as his squad lived up to being picked first in the coaches preseason poll. The Catamounts secured their second consecutive outright regular-season title with a 2-0 win at Furman on Oct. 24, leading to the squad being the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. Miller and Debbie Hensley, who won SoCon Coach of the Year in 2001, are the program’s only winners of the honor.
 

All six Western Carolina players that were on the all-conference teams were first-team selections. Furman and Samford had two on the first team, while Mercer finished with one selection. Robitaille was joined by forwards DeMarco and Milla Syska, midfielder Naya Marcil, defender Becca Campbell and goalkeeper Leanne Trudel on the first team. DeMarco, Marcil and Campbell each made their second straight appearance on the first-team All-SoCon squad.

Furman was represented by midfielder Nieva Gaither and defender Miya Poplin on the first team. Gaither was also a first-team selection in 2022. Midfielder Whitaker Buchanan and defender Ella Simpson were Samford’s selections on the first team, and Thomason rounded out the first team.

Mercer, which finished tied for third in the conference standings, led the way with four selections on the second team. ETSU and Chattanooga had two selections, while Furman, UNCG and Samford had one apiece. The Bears placed forward Jada Moorman, midfielders Kendall Cook and Sara Engels and defender Lena Dykes on the squad. The Buccaneers saw defender Madi Hook and goalkeeper Ashton Blair make the second team. The Mocs were represented by forward Caroline Richvalsky and defender Breanna Swiger. Furman’s Tara Katz, UNCG’s Rachel Poplin and Samford’s Layton Glisson completed the second team selections.

Furman and Chattanooga both placed two players on the all-freshman team. The Citadel, ETSU, Mercer, UNCG, Samford, Western Carolina and Wofford each had one represented.
 

Four quarterfinal games highlight Friday’s Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Championship slate as No. 1 Western Carolina hosts No. 8 Wofford at 7 p.m. after No. 4 Mercer and No. 5 Chattanooga take the field at 4 p.m. No. 2 seed Samford hosts No. 7 UNCG at 4 p.m. CT ahead of a 7 p.m. CT game between No. 3 Furman and No. 6 ETSU. The semifinals will be played on Sunday, Nov. 3, at Western Carolina and Samford, with the championship scheduled for Nov. 9 or 10 at the highest remaining seed. All contests will air on ESPN+.

2024 Women's Soccer All-Conference Team
  
Player of the Year – Larkin Thomason, So., F, Mercer
Defensive Player of the Year – Ava Robitaille, Jr., M, Western Carolina
Coach of the Year – Chad Miller, Western Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Merle Greulich, F, UNCG
 
First Team
F – Larkin Thomason, Mercer

F – Isabella DeMarco, Western Carolina
F – Milla Syska, Western Carolina

M – Nieva Gaither, Furman
M – Whitaker Buchanan, Samford
M – Naya Marcil, Western Carolina

M – Ava Robitaille, Western Carolina

D – Miya Poplin, Furman
D – Ella Simpson, Samford
D – Becca Campbell, Western Carolina

GK – Leanne Trudel, Western Carolina
 
Second Team
F – Tara Katz, Furman

F – Jada Moorman, Mercer

F – Layton Glisson, Samford

F – Caroline Richvalsky, Chattanooga
M – Kendall Cook, Mercer
M – Sara Engels, Mercer

M – Rachel Poplin, UNCG
D – Madi Hook, ETSU

D – Lena Dykes, Mercer

D – Brenna Swiger, Chattanooga
GK – Ashton Blair, ETSU


All-Freshman Team
Charlotte Seay, The Citadel

Jada Cooper, ETSU

Reese DeJong, Furman

Sarah Sexton, Furman

Maggie Rollins, Mercer

Merle Greulich, UNCG      

Alex Parr, Samford

EG Dillard, Chattanooga

Sophia Mize, Chattanooga

Malia Roberts, Western Carolina

Kate Markey, Wofford