LMU SOCCER NEWS

LINCOLN MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY

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Sports Release                                                                                                                                      November 5, 2007

Spielman Named SAC Women’s Soccer Tournament Most Valuable Player

HARROGATE, TN – Sunday afternoon’s South Atlantic Conference Championship match signified a monumental personal milestone for Lincoln Memorial University women’s soccer senior Patty Spielman (Melbourne, FL).  Spielman was named 2007 SAC Women’s Soccer Tournament MVP following LMU’s 3-2 PK shootout win over Catawba College to capture their first league championship.

A four-year starter for the Lady Railsplitters, Spielman isn’t one of those student-athletes that have received a ton of accolades from the conference or the region during her collegiate career.

In 2004 as a freshman, Spielman helped the Lady Railsplitters earn their first trip in school history to the NCAA Tournament where they captured the 2004 South Region title before falling in the Elite-Eight that same year.  As a sophomore in 2005, Spielman and the Lady Railsplitters won the Gulf South Conference Championship in Pensacola, Florida and made their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, this time falling in the first round.  In 2006, the LMU women weren’t eligible for the South Atlantic Conference regular season or tournament title due to scholarship restrictions after making the transition from the GSC to the SAC.  However, the 2007 season has been a banner year for the Lady Railsplitters who have emerged as SAC regular season and tournament champions.

On Sunday afternoon, all of these accolades, of which Spielman has played a key role in Lincoln Memorial receiving, were topped with a crown jewel when Spielman received the MVP award for the conference tournament.

Although she scored no goals in the tournament, nor handed out any assists, Spielman’s contributions to the Lady Railsplitter’s success were as consistent as her play over the past four seasons.  Each game this young Lady quietly steps on the field, assumes her role in the midfield, and does the things she needs to do both offensively and defensively for the Lady Railsplitters to win.  Such was the case this weekend in the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

Many times in a soccer player’s career awards are given for the number of goals scored, the number of assists they hand out, or the number of saves they make.  When an athlete is recognized for their impact in a game through merely their presence on the field, they have defined the term, most valuable player.

-LMU-  

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