University of Houston Athletics
Houston Celebrates 2019 Season at Annual Banquet
11/18/2019 4:58:00 PM | Soccer
HOUSTON – Houston Soccer celebrated its third season under Head Coach Diego Bocanegra Sunday afternoon, with a banquet at the TDECU Stadium Club.
This season's Newcomer of the Year award was given to freshman midfielder Madison Gear. Gear played in 18 games this season, including eight starts, and ranked among Top-5 in shot percentage and total number of shots with 12. The midfielder also recorded a game winning goal against Incarnate Word at the top of the season and recorded a total of 682 minutes.
Offensive Player of the Year was awarded to junior forward Jazmin Grant came in second-best in scoring with 11 points this season, off of four goals and three assists. Grant led Houston with a career-high 20 shots on goal, and posted the second best record with 35 shots. The junior appeared in 16 games, including 12 starts, and earned and place on the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll and Second-Team All-Conference honors.
Cassidy Formanek earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after anchoring a backline that posted four shutouts this season. The sophomore defender started in all 20 games that she appeared in, leading the team in minutes played with 1624. Formanek recorded one goal on the season and earned a place on the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll.
Most Improved Player was awarded to sophomore forward Kayla Izaguirre. Izaguirre appeared in 18 games and recorded 706 minutes on the season, a big increase from her 92 minutes the previous season. The sophomore notched six shots and tallied eight starts on the year.
For the second consecutive season, Teammate of the Year was awarded to senior midfielder Katelyn Bub. Bub got the nod in 17 matches, including eight starts and tallied a total four shots on the season. Additionally, the senior is a two-time American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team selection and is a member of the National Leader Society, Omicron Delta Kappa.
Most Valuable Player for the 2019 season was awarded to senior forward Desiree Bowen. Appearing in 20 matches and making 20 starts, Bowen led the Cougars with points, goals and assists, scoring 13 points off of four goals and five assists. The forward also led the team in game winning goals and came in third tallying 29 shots on the season. For the second consecutive season, Bowen earned First-Team All-Conference honors.
The most coveted postseason accolade, the Champion For Life award, was presented to senior captain Lauren Flowers. Flowers tallied 20 match appearances, 20 starts and recorded 1387 minutes on the season. The defender notched career-high 10 shots and one assist against in-state rival SMU. Post-grad, Flowers has plans to attend medical school and pursue a career as a dermatologist.
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