The UA women soccer team's record-breaking season ended exactly two months ago today, but the Wildcats are still managing to get in more firsts for the program without lifting a foot.
This week, Soccer Buzz magazine named defender Lindsey Peeples to its All-America third team, making the senior the first All-American in the program's 10-year history. The magazine also selected Peeples as a first-team West Region selection.
Despite playing little in the beginning of the season because of injuries, Peeples started in 18 of 21 games while anchoring a young Wildcat defense that allowed a school-record 11 goals in 21 games.
The previous low for the UA defense was 31 goals in 1997.
One of the three co-captains, Peeples was also selected to the first-team all-Pacific 10 Conference and named to the NSCAA/Adidas West Region second-team.
"You don't replace a person like that," head coach Dan Tobias said of Peeples.
"You can try to replace her with a student athlete that is comparable, but the experience for those freshmen playing with this person and next to this person, it bodes well for the future," Tobias said, referring to freshman goalkeeper McCall Smith and freshman defenders Kaity Heath, Claire Bodiya and Shaylyn Scott, who shared the backfield with Peeples.
Soccer Buzz named Heath to its freshman honorable mention All-America team. Heath started 19 games for the Wildcat defense. She also notched four assists on offense and scored the lone goal in the Wildcats' win over UC Irvine in the Arizona Invitational on Sept. 3.
After just one collegiate season, Smith is already the UA's most decorated goalkeeper. She broke the school's all-time shutout record in one season with 11 shutouts. Smith played every minute of every game this season and allowed just 11 goals in 21 games for a .524 goals against average, also a single-season school record. Smith allowed two goals in a game only once this season.
Smith was also named to the All-Pac-10 honorable mention team and to the NSCAA/Adidas West Region third team.
Senior forward Candice Wilks was selected to the Soccer Buzz West Region second-team All-America. She led the team with seven goals this season, and added four assists. Wilks was named to the All-Pac-10 first team. She is the first player in UA history to receive all-conference honors all four years.
Wilks was also named to the NSCAA/Adidas West Region second team and will end her UA career second all-time in goals and assists with 23 and 11, respectively.
Not to be outdone, Tobias was named the West Region coach of the year for both NSCAA/Adidas and Soccer Buzz. He is one of six finalists for the NSCAA/Adidas National Head Coach of the Year award, which will be announced Saturday. Tobias was also named the Pac-10 coach of the year, his first as head coach at UA and second overall (Washington State 2002). He is the first coach in UA history to receive these accolades.
"First and foremost, it means that other coaches recognize and have respect for the program we have at the University of Arizona," Tobias said.
"Individually, I am honored and flattered. It's an individual award, but I look at it as a team award," he added. "We're starting to build our own program of success."