Stratigakis B1G Midfielder of Year, Eight Wolverines Earn All-Big Ten Honors
10/31/2019 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Junior Sarah Stratigakis of the University of Michigan women's soccer team was named the Big Ten Midfielder of the Year and was one of eight Wolverines to earn All-Big Ten honors, the conference announced Thursday (Oct. 31).
The eight honorees mark the most in program history, surpassing the six Michigan earned in 2012. Stratigakis is the first Wolverine to be named Big Ten Midfielder of the Year.
Stratigakis also was named first team All-Big Ten and was joined by junior Alia Martin. Sophomores Meredith Haakenson and Raleigh Loughman earned second-team honors and juniors Hillary Beall and Nicki Hernandez were named to the third team. Jayde Riviere and Danielle Wolfe garnered All-Freshman Team accolades.
Stratigakis earned her third consecutive All-Big Ten honor as she was named to the second team in both her freshman and sophomore seasons. She leads the Wolverine offense with 21 points (six goals, nine assists), marking her highest single-seasopn total and and ranks fifth in the Big Ten. The Woodbridge, Ontario, native's nine assists are tied for first in the league and her six goals are tied for ninth. Stratigakis also has netted three game-winners and also has produced four games with three points.
Martin earned her first career Big Ten honor after moving to the backline for her junior campaign. The Carmel, Indiana, native has played in 16 matches (15 starts) as a center back for the Wolverines. Martin has logged 1,300 minutes on the pitch this season and has been a main factor in five U-M shutouts.
Haakenson and Loughman each earned spots on the second team in their second seasons in Ann Arbor, marking the first Big Ten honors of their careers. Both midfielders have 18 points this season as Haakenson has scored a team-best eight goals to go with two assists, while Loughman has six goals and six assists.
Haakenson's eight goals and Loughman's six assists are tied for sixth in the conference. Haakenson has scored four game-winners for the Wolverines and Loughman has scored one. The sophomores have both produced multi-point games as Haakenson scored two goals against Marshall in the season opener and Loughman added five points (two goals, one assist) at Illinois.
Beall and Hernandez earned their first Big Ten honors, landing spots on the third team. Beall has started all 18 matches in net for the Wolverines, posting a .795 save percentage and allowing just 15 goals. The Laguna Beach, California, native has made a career-high 59 saves and has posted five shutouts. Beall also made a career-best 12 saves in Michigan's 2-1 win over then-No. 13 Washington, which earned her Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week accolades.
Hernandez rounds out Michigan's double-digit point scorers with 13 this year. The Naperville, Illinois, native has turned up her offense in the second half of the season, scoring all four of her goals and collecting three of her five assists over that span. Hernandez has been a game-changer this season playing box-to-box and making plays in the midfield.
Riviere and Wolfe have come in and made an impact in their first collegiate seasons. Riviere has played in 14 matches (13 starts) after taking two weeks away from Michigan to play for the Canadian national team. The Pickering, Ontario, native has been key in the backline for the Wolverines logging 975 minutes and notching her first collegiate point with an assist against Purdue.
Wolfe has appeared in 16 matches (one start) in her first season. The West Bloomfield, Michigan, native has scored three goals -- two coming in Michigan's 4-1 victory at Illinois. Wolfe has come on as a sub for the Wolverines this season in almost every match and played 558 minutes.
In addition to Michigan eight All-Big Ten honors, junior Samantha DeVecchi was recognized by the conference at U-M's Big Ten Sportsmanship honoree. DeVecchi has played in 17 matches (eight starts) this season. The midfielder has tallied two assists this season and has totaled 1,016 minutes of playing time.
Michigan will open postseason play this Sunday (Nov. 3) when it hosts Maryland in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal match. The Wolverines earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament and will host the No. 6-seeded Terrapins at 1 p.m. at U-M Soccer Stadium. [ Tickets ].
