November 8, 2011
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Freshman TAYLOR FULTZ (Camden/Preble Shawnee) was recently named first team All-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference for the 2011 women's soccer season. Also honored were junior MADDIE MOORE (Linn Grove, Ind./South Adams) and sophomore AIMEE WHITMER (Grand Rapids/Otsego) who were selected second team All-HCAC. Both Whitmer and Moore are repeat selections after earning second team acclaim in 2010. It marks the first time since 2009 (Kourtney Lewis) that a Beaver has been named first team All-HCAC for women's soccer.
Taylor Fultz found herself in the starting lineup from day one and she made opposing defenses adjust to her speed and shot-making ability. The freshman forward buried a Heartland Conference-best 11 goals while taking 50 shots in her first season of collegiate soccer. Fultz put 29 of her attempts on frame and led the Beavers with four game-winning tallies. Her 11 goals are the fourth-best all time at Bluffton for a single season and she is already tied for 10th all time on the career list.
Maddie Moore, who is now a three-time All-HCAC second team selection, showed her versatility in the mid-field with four goals and a team-high five assists for 13 total points. A three-year starter for the Beavers, Moore is a quiet leader who controls the pace and also knows how to finish. She is currently tied for fourth all-time with 10 career assists, just two away from Tara Young and Katie Kanter. Her five assists this season place her third on the single-season list and she is 10th all time with 28 career points (9 goals and 10 assists). Moore is tied for 12th on the career list with her nine scores.
Aimee Whitmer picked up her second All-HCAC honor in as many seasons when she was named second team All-Heartland Conference for 2011. She thwarted opposing offenses time and again, helping limit Bluffton opponents to a school-record 20 goals this year, one season after the Beavers shattered the previous mark of 30 with 21 goals allowed. Whitmer was a key component in Bluffton's school-record nine shutouts and 523:31 minute scoreless streak by the Bluffton opposition. The sophomore standout also found her teammates with three assists and she knocked in two goals from deep for a total of seven points.
In conjunction with the All-HCAC selections, the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference also announced the All-HCAC Sportsmanship Team for the fall of 2011. Junior Maddie Moore was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team from Bluffton. This award has been developed as part of a conference-wide sportsmanship initiative. Members of the All-HCAC Sportsmanship team are selected by the coaches and their teammates as individuals who demonstrate the ideals of positive sportsmanship both on and off the field/court of competition.
Bluffton wrapped up its record-setting season with the first winning campaign and best mark in school history, going 11-5-2 and 5-3-1 in the conference. For the first time since the HCAC went to a limited format for its tournament, the Beavers qualified for post season. Five consecutive wins established a new school mark as did the Beavers' 37 goals this year. Bluffton came up just 25 minutes short of the 558:49 minute opponent scoreless streak from 2010 and the Beavers took advantage of their berth in the HCAC tournament, shocking #1 seed and host Earlham College in the conference semifinals. Full statistics and information on the Bluffton women's soccer program are available online.
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