Three Radford University women’s soccer student-athletes have been named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region Teams, which was announced this week.
Three different classes were represented as senior Nelia Perez was named to the Second Team and junior Gabi Paupst and sophomore Kayla Thomas were named to the Third Team.
Perez was one of the Highlanders’ best offensive players all season long after notching 13 goals and six assists for 32 points, second in the conference. Her 13 goals were also second best in the league as well. The 13 goals and 32 points led the team; seven of her goals were game-winners, including the golden goal against Campbell in the Big South Semifinals. She was a First-Team All-Big-South member and was named the Big South Tournament MVP.
Pappst was right behind her as the leading scorer for most of the season. The native of Grimsby, Ontario, Canada scored nine goals in 20 matches on 58 shots. Paupst notched three game-winning goals and chipped in five assists. She also led the team with three multi-goal performances.
Thomas, who was named the 2019 Big South Defensive Player of the Year, recorded 19 matches with 90 minutes of gameplay on the defensive end. The Rolleston, New Zealand, native helped the Highlanders to 10 shutouts this season, including three of the last four regular-season matches. She also contributed on the offensive end, scoring a goal and tallying two assists in the first two matches of the season for a total of four points.
These three helped Radford tie the record for wins in a season with 16 for the second straight season and guided the Highlanders to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season.
–RU Athletics
