Marquette University Athletics
Katie Kelly Named Soccer Buzz All-American
1/30/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Jan. 30, 2009
MILWAUKEE - Senior defender Katie Kelly became Marquette's seventh All-America selection as she was named a fourth team All-America selection by Soccer Buzz. Along with that honor she picked up All-Great Lakes Region First Team accolades. Senior defender Shannon Cusick was named to the third team All-Great Lakes Team while freshman goalkeeper Natalie Kulla was named to the Great Lakes Region All-Freshman Team.
"'These are well-deserved honors for Katie, Shannon and Natalie," said head coach Markus Roeders. "Our team and those three players had an outstanding year. We played at a very high level throughout the fall and beat very talented teams along the way. We didn't score as much as we would've liked but our defense stepped up. These three players were instrumental in our success and us reaching the NCAA tournament again. Katie being named an All-American is terrific and a highlight of a tremendous career at Marquette. We are glad that Shannon got recognized because she has been a leader on the field for the past three years. Natalie showed her tremendous talent as a freshman and we know she has a bright future."
Kelly made her mark in the Golden Eagles' record book as she finished her career tied for the most career starts with 89, and tied for second on the all-time assists list with 25. Marquette complied an overall record of 54-22-13 (27-11-6 BIG EAST) with Kelly in the lineup, made three trips to the NCAA Tournament and three appearances in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.
In 2008, Kelly was a key component of Marquette's stifling backline that registered nine shutouts, five against BIG EAST foes, and allowed more than one goal in a game just three times in the regular season. For her efforts Kelly was named second team All-BIG EAST and to the league's all-tournament team following the Golden Eagles' appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals.
For her career, Kelly has been named All-BIG EAST three times, claiming rookie team honors in 2005, third team honors in 2007 and second team honors in 2008. Kelly also earned freshman All-America status by Soccer Buzz following the 2005 season.
Cusick, also an integral member of the Golden Eagles' stingy defensive contingent, was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll three times (Sept. 1, Sept. 8, Sept. 22) and received national acclaim by being named to the Soccer America Team of the Week and to Soccer Buzz's Elite Team of the Week on Sept. 1. She earned third team All-BIG EAST honors for the 2008 season.
Kulla had a stellar freshman campaign playing 18 games, starting in 17. The freshman from St. Louis was one of the BIG EAST's standout rookie keepers as she had the league's seventh-best goals against average (0.79) and eighth-best saves percentage (80.9) while playing over 1,477 minutes. Kulla notched six shutouts and finished the season with a 9-5-2 overall mark, 5-3-1 in BIG EAST play.
The Golden Eagles capped the 2008 campaign with an 11-8-3 overall record, 6-3-2 in BIG EAST play, and earned their seventh NCAA Tournament berth. Marquette finished second in the American Division standings and advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals for the third time in program history.
