Wahlen named first-team all-conference, DeSplinter and Smothers on second team
Three Bees earned all-conference honors, the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) announced on Monday.
Morgan Wahlen was named to the first team, while Taylor DeSplinter and Erin Smothers were second-team selections.
Wahlen, a senior midfielder from Batavia, Ill. returns to the all-conference first team after being selected to the squad in 2020. She earned second-team honors back in 2017. Wahlen netted 16 goals this season, a team-high, and second-best in the CCAC. She added six assists and had four game-winning goals. Wahlen has 42 goals and 16 assists in her St. Ambrose career. She scored three goals twice this season - vs. IU South Bend on September 11th and at Governors State on October 26th and has converted each of her three penalty kick attempts.
DeSplinter, a freshman forward from Geneseo, Ill., started 19 games in her first season with the Bees. She led the team in assists with eight and added six goals, including three game-winners. DeSplinter had a two-goal, two-assist performance against Calumet on September 25th.
Smothers, a senior defender from Countryside, Ill., became the first SAU women's soccer player to earn all-conference honors five times. She was a first-team selection in 2020, 2018, and 2017 and earned second-team recognition in 2019. Smothers helped the St. Ambrose defense to 10 shutouts this year and a 0.78 goals against average while adding one goal and four assists this season. She has 13 career goals and 20 assists during her time with the Bees. Smothers was named to the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District Team for her efforts on the field and in the classroom.
The trio of Bees helped St. Ambrose to a 9-3-1 conference record and a CCAC Tournament title as the fifth-seed. With the tournament win, SAU earned a trip to the NAIA Tournament Opening Round.