LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The 2025 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams were announced on Tuesday morning, with West Chester’s Kianna Barber from the Eastern Division and IUP’s Elle Smith from the Western Division both honored with Athlete of the Year honors.
Other Major Award winners from the Eastern Division include Defensive Player of the Year Maura Day from Kutztown, Freshman of the Year Kathryn Dougherty from West Chester, and WCU head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley as Coach of the Year.
From the Western Division, IUP’s Elle Smith was named Athlete of the Year while teammate Emma Hays (Defensive Player of the Year), Edinboro's Jada Cole (Freshman of the Year) and Slippery Rock head coach Noreen Herlihy (Coach of the Year) were also honored.
The All-Conference Teams and Major Awards are determined by a vote of the conference's head coaches. Voting was concluded after the regular season and prior to the beginning of the PSAC tournament.
WESTERN DIVISION
Western Division Athlete of the Year Elle Smith tallied 20 goals and seven assists for a conference-best total of 47 points in the regular season. Heading into the postseason, she leads all of Division II in goals and points. She also led the PSAC in game-winning goals with eight.
IUP's Emma Hays anchored IUP's defense and was named Defensive Player of the Year, as the Crimson Hawks' defense allowed just six goals to opponents all season, the best mark in the conference. She also chipped in with three assists on offense.
Edinboro's Jada Cole was voted the Freshman of the Year after scoring 10 goals and assisting two others. She started all 17 games in the regular season and played over 1,200 minutes in her debut campaign.
Returning to Slippery Rock (where she had been gone since 2014), head coach Noreen Herlihy collected Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year. She guided The Rock to a Western Division-best 12-1-1 PSAC record and the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament. The Rock was 12-3-1 overall, an improvement over the team's 9-6-4 record (8-3-3 PSAC) in 2024. SRU scored 32 goals (fifth-most in the conference) and allowed just 14 (the sixth-lowest in the PSAC.)
EASTERN DIVISION
For the third consecutive year, the Athlete of the Year in the Eastern Division is a West Chester Golden Ram. Kianna Barber totaled eight goals and 3 assists for the season, including 17 points in conference play (tied for the highest in the East.) She also Eastern Division-best totals of 69 shots and 33 shots on goal during conference play.
Kutztown's Maura Day was voted the Defensive Player of the Year and was a key part of the Golden Bears’ defense which allowed just 11 goals in the 2025 regular season, tied for the third-lowest in the entire PSAC. She contributed greatly on the other side of the field, scoring two goals and assisting on seven others.
Freshman of the Year Kathryn Dougherty of West Chester started all 17 games in defense for the Rams, playing a total of 1370 minutes. WCU only allowed seven goals in the regular season, the best mark in the East, and Dougherty scored a goal and added an assist offensively.
West Chester head coach Betty Ann Kempf Townsley earns her fourth career PSAC Coach of the Year honor after orchestrating an East-best 9-1-4 conference record (12-1-4 overall). WCU tallied 37 goals (fourth-most in the PSAC) and will try to win its third PSAC title in four years as the 2025 conference tournament begins this week.
Of the 52 total PSAC Women’s Soccer All-Conference honorees this fall, 18 are former All-Conference selections, while the rest have been named to an All-PSAC team for the first time in their respective careers.
Find the complete list of 2025 PSAC Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams and Major Award Winners below.
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WESTERN DIVISION
Western Division Athlete of the Year: Elle Smith, IUP
Western Division Defensive Player of the Year: Emma Hays, IUP
Western Division Freshman of the Year: Jada Cole, Edinboro
Western Division Coach of the Year: Noreen Herlihy, Slippery Rock
PSAC Women's Soccer Western Division First Team All-Conference
| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
Institution |
| Defense |
Emma Hays*^ |
Jr. |
IUP |
| Defense |
Destinee Robertson* |
Sr. |
Gannon |
| Defense |
Hannah Shepard** |
Jr. |
Gannon |
| Defense |
Sydney Smith |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Forward |
Jada Cole |
Fr. |
Edinboro |
| Forward |
Ciara DiMauro |
Jr. |
Clarion |
| Forward |
Brooklyn Respecki** |
Jr. |
Gannon |
| Forward |
Elle Smith |
Jr. |
IUP |
| Midfield |
Grace Emanuel** |
Jr. |
Gannon |
| Midfield |
Ella Fadale** |
Sr. |
Gannon |
| Midfield |
Paige Fausey |
Jr. |
IUP |
| Midfield |
Libby Zacharyasz* |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Goalkeeper |
Morgan Sinan*^ |
Gr. |
Gannon |
PSAC Women's Soccer Western Division Second Team All-Conference
| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
Institution |
| Defense |
Reese Aquilio |
Sr. |
Clarion |
| Defense |
Madison Felton^ |
Sr. |
Edinboro |
| Defense |
Sydney Leach |
So. |
IUP |
| Defense |
Kailyn Schulte |
Fr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Forward |
Emily Lattea |
Jr. |
IUP |
| Forward |
Marissa Salisbury |
Sr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Forward |
Emily Vogel |
Sr. |
Edinboro |
| Forward |
Jessie Watkins* |
So. |
Gannon |
| Midfield |
Marisa Colondrillo |
Sr. |
Clarion |
| Midfield |
Sophia Palermo |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
| Midfield |
Sonoka Shiokawa |
Fr. |
Edinboro |
| Midfield |
Christyana Sims |
Sr. |
California |
| Goalkeeper |
Leah Allman |
Jr. |
Slippery Rock |
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EASTERN DIVISION
Eastern Division Athlete of the Year: Kianna Barber, West Chester
Eastern Division Defensive Player of the Year: Maura Day, Kutztown
Eastern Division Freshman of the Year: Kathryn Dougherty, West Chester
Eastern Division Coach of the Year: Betty Ann Kempf Townsley, West Chester
PSAC Women's Soccer Eastern Division First Team All-Conference
| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
Institution |
| Defense |
Maura Day |
Jr. |
Kutztown |
| Defense |
Kathryn Dougherty |
Fr. |
West Chester |
| Defense |
Adrianna Morales |
Sr. |
Shepherd |
| Defense |
Carley Slavin |
Jr. |
West Chester |
| Forward |
Kianna Barber |
So. |
West Chester |
| Forward |
Faith Matter*** |
Sr. |
West Chester |
| Forward |
Corinne Morgan |
Jr. |
Kutztown |
| Forward |
Aubrey Strohecker |
Jr. |
Millersville |
| Midfield |
Reagan Ackermann^ |
Jr. |
Shepherd |
| Midfield |
Lia Francis |
So. |
Millersville |
| Midfield |
Victoria Pungello |
Sr. |
West Chester |
| Midfield |
Lauren Reimold |
Jr. |
West Chester |
| Goalkeeper |
Grace Keen |
Jr. |
West Chester |
PSAC Women's Soccer Eastern Division Second Team All-Conference
| Position |
Name |
Cl. |
Institution |
| Defense |
Jacqueline Graham |
Sr. |
West Chester |
| Defense |
Erika Moore |
Sr. |
Shepherd |
| Defense |
Emily Reeve |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
| Defense |
Annabelle Wunderlich* |
Jr. |
Shepherd |
| Forward |
Josie Beezel |
Sr. |
Shepherd |
| Forward |
Isabel Coy^^ |
Sr. |
Millersville |
| Forward |
Anika Krasnai |
Jr. |
Bloomsburg |
| Forward |
Caroline McDonald*^* |
Sr. |
Kutztown |
| Midfield |
Leana Cuzzocrea |
Sr. |
Lock Haven |
| Midfield |
Kate Economopoulos^* |
Jr. |
Shepherd |
| Midfield |
Sarah Peternel^ |
Gr. |
Shepherd |
| Midfield |
Jade Wiley |
So. |
East Stroudsburg |
| Goalkeeper |
Samantha Merklin*^ |
Sr. |
Bloomsburg |
* Indicates previous All-PSAC First Team selection
^ Indicates previous All-PSAC Second Team selection