Scorpions women's soccer team rakes in RRAC honors

The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College landed two awards and five players on the Red River Athletic Conference women’s soccer all-conference first team, as voted upon by the conference coaches.

Defender Jodie Hunter was named defensive player of the year, and coach Nik Barjaktarevic was named RRAC coach of the year after winning the RRAC championship for the second time in three seasons.Hunter, a defender from Batley, England, was also named to the first team.

Barjaktarevic led the Scorpions to a second-place finish in the regular season, but the Scorpions came on strong to win the RRAC Tournament championship and advance to the NAIA national championship. UTB-TSC is 11-4-2 for the season.

Freshman forward Leah Russell of Oakville, Ontario (Can.), sophomore midfielder Helen Wagstaff of Heckmondwike, England, and freshman defender Chelsea Maidment of Aurora, Ontario (Can.) and junior goalkeeper Stephanie Reid of Mississauga, Ontario (Can.) also were named to the first team.

Wagstaff is a repeat first-team selection from the 2008 team.

Verena Wonsikowski, a sophomore forward from Kleve, Germany, and Sara Di Benedetto, a sophomore midfielder from Maple, Ontario (Can.) were named to the second team.

The Scorpions play in the NAIA women’s soccer national championship opening round at 3 p.m. Saturday against Southern Nazarene (Okla.).