ANDERSON, S.C. – The Division Two Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) announced the 2024 Women's Soccer Southeast All-Region Team on Tuesday morning with a total of six Lady Cougars from the Columbus State women's soccer program being honored.
Columbus State led the Southeast with six selections as
Sarah Hungerford,
Vanessa Aviles, and
Kelsey Croft garnered First Team honors while
Heidi Harris,
Emma Beddow, and
Avery Williams were tabbed to the Second Team. In addition, the Peach Belt Conference led with a total of 10 overall selections.
Junior midfielder, Hungerford, led Columbus State late in the regular season with a heater of a streak in the final five matches before heading to postseason play. The native of Richmond Hill, Ga. tallied seven goals in the five matches, adding an assist in there as well.
Hungerford is the leading scorer and points producer for the Lady Cougars with 12 goals and four assists for 28 points. She has put together four game-winning goals this season and has registered a shot on goal percentage of 54.3%. She earned Second Team All-Region honors a season ago.
The senior from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Aviles, was named a First Team selection in the midfield alongside Hungerford. In 20 matches played, Aviles has totaled 11 goals and two assists for 24 points on the year.
Aviles has also gathered five game-winning goals and has scored a goal in her last three matches as an engine in the midfield. So far this season, she has gone for a perfect 6-of-6 from the penalty spot.
In the defensive end, Croft was tabbed as a First Team selection for her efforts as an anchor in the CSU backline. Croft has started all 22 matches for CSU and is a stalwart in the defensive scheme for the Lady Cougars.
The sophomore from Douglasville, Ga. has been crucial in the defensive efforts that have held opponents to just 10 goals all season. She has also been key in the 15 shutouts CSU has produced as well as the average allowance of just 6.9 shots per game.
In addition to the three First Team honorees, Columbus State earned three more selections in the Second Team. Reigning PBC Defender of the Year,
Heidi Harris, garnered Second Team honors as a wall in net for CSU.
Harris has marked a 21-0-1 record in 22 matches played, recording a goals against average of 0.36. The junior from Suwanee, Ga. has allowed just seven goals this season and has notched 39 saves in the process for a save percentage of 84.8%.
Up top, senior forward, Beddow gathered her fourth-straight All-Region honor of her career with a Second Team nod. The Savannah, Ga. native is second in total points for CSU, recording 26 with eight goals and a team-leading 10 assists.
Beddow has tallied three game-winners this season. The senior has been a crucial piece in the starting eleven and the experience has helped lead CSU to the Southeast Regional Championship this season.
One more defender appears on the list of honorees from CSU as Williams was named to the Second Team. The junior from St. Augustine, Fla. has helped to anchor the defensive efforts for CSU alongside Croft and others.
Williams was a First Team All-PBC selection this season and a PBC Defender of the Week. She has logged the second-most minutes in the CSU defensive corps this season.
The D2CCA All-Region team is selected by athletics communications professionals from the Peach Belt, Conference Carolinas and the South Atlantic Conference. All first-team selections are eligible for All-America consideration.
The Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2 CCA) encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
