Memphis women’s soccer dominates AAC awards list, sets record
University of Memphis forward Mya Jones (9) brings the ball up the pitch during an Oct. 19 game against UAB. Jones wasunanimously named 2023 AAC Offensive Player of the Year and unanimously voted to the All-AAC first team. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
The University of Memphis women’s soccer program dominated the 2023 American Athletic Conference postseason awards, which were announced Monday, Oct. 30.
The winners were chosen by the league’s 12 head coaches.
The Tigers won six of the seven total awards, while also placing a conference record six players on the All-AAC first team. One Tiger was named to the All-AAC second team, and three more to the All-AAC rookie team.
Memphis’ lengthy list of honorees is headlined by fifth-year forward Mya Jones, who was unanimously named AAC Offensive Player of the Year and unanimously voted to the All-AAC first team. Jones leads the Tigers — who finished the regular season 15-1 overall, 9-0 in the AAC — in points (29) and assists (11).
Memphis senior defender Haylee Spray was named co-AAC Defensive Player of the Year, sharing the honor with East Carolina’s Jazmin Ferguson.
The Tigers’ defense got another nod with the selection of junior Kaylie Bierman as AAC Goalkeeper of the Year, and Memphis junior midfielder Momo Nakao took home AAC Midfielder of the Year honors.
University of Memphis’ Anna Hauer attempts a shot during an Aug. 24 game versus Ohio State. Hauer was named co-AAC Rookie of the Year. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian file)
Freshman Anna Hauer, who is third on the Tigers in points (17) and goals (seven), was named co-AAC Rookie of the Year, sharing the award with SMU’s Nyah Rose.
Memphis’ staff — comprised of coach Brooks Monaghan, associate head coaches Jonny Walker and Jordan Darling and assistant coach Ted Bartels — was named the AAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Monaghan’s 15 wins so far this season mark his eighth time winning 15 or more games since taking over as head coach in 2000. It’s also the Tigers’ most wins in a season since the program went 17-3-1 in 2019.
The five other Tigers joining Jones on the All-AAC first team are Spray, Bierman, Nakao, fifth-year forward Saorla Miller and senior defender Grace Stordy.
Hauer made the All-AAC second team and the conference’s all-rookie team, while freshman midfielder Honoka Hamano and freshman defender Finley Lavin also made the all-rookie team.
No. 1 seed Memphis opens AAC Tournament play with a quarterfinal round match against No. 8 seed UAB at 10 a.m. CT Tuesday in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. If the Tigers advance, they would move on to face the winner between No. 4 seed ECU and No. 5 seed Charlotte at 3 p.m. CT Thursday.
Here’s the full list of the 2023 AAC women’s soccer honorees (asterisk denotes a unanimous selection):
Offensive Player of the Year
- Mya Jones, 5th, F, Memphis*
Co-Defensive Player of the Year
- Jazmin Ferguson, So., D, East Carolina
- Haylee Spray, Sr., D, Memphis
Midfielder of the Year
- Momo Nakao, Jr., Memphis
Goalkeeper of the Year
- Kaylie Bierman, Jr., Memphis
Co-Rookie of the Year
- Anna Hauer, F, Memphis
- Nyah Rose, F, SMU
Coaching Staff of the Year
- Memphis
Team Fair Play Award
- Florida Atlantic
All-Conference First Team
- Tash Hudson, Sr., F, Charlotte
- Jazmin Ferguson, So., D, East Carolina
- Kaylie Bierman, Jr., GK, Memphis
- Mya Jones, 5th, F, Memphis*
- Saorla Miller, 5th, F, Memphis
- Momo Nakao, Jr., M, Memphis
- Haylee Spray, Sr., D, Memphis
- Grace Stordy, Sr., D, Memphis
- Gentiana Fetaj, So., M, South Florida
- Nyah Rose, Fr., F, SMU
- Jordan Frederick, So., F, Tulsa
All-Conference Second Team
- Asha Zuniga, 5th, D, UAB
- Payton Patrick, Jr., F, Charlotte
- Annabelle Abbott, Sr., M, East Carolina
- Maeve English, Sr., GK, East Carolina
- Jodi Smith, Jr., D, Florida Atlantic
- Anna Hauer, Fr., F, Memphis
- Bailey Wesco, Jr., F, North Texas
- Vivianne Bessette, Jr., D, South Florida
- Georgia Brown, Jr., D, South Florida
- Peyton Annen, So., D, SMU
- Kaylyn Simmons, Fr., M/F, Tulsa
All-Rookie Team
- Abby Graeser, D, UAB
- Lucy Fazackerley, D, East Carolina*
- Olivia Bori, M/F, Florida Atlantic
- Honoka Hamano, M, Memphis
- Anna Hauer, F, Memphis*
- Finley Lavin, D, Memphis
- Mia Bernard, M, North Texas
- Emma Alvord, F, SMU
- Nyah Rose, F, SMU
- Jasmine Kessler, GK, UTSA
- Kaylyn Simmons, M/F, Tulsa
- Piper Szafranski, M, Tulsa
Topics
Memphis Tigers Memphis Tigers women's soccer All-AAC Teams AAC awards Tigers women's soccerParth Upadhyaya
Parth Upadhyaya covers the Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team. A Raleigh, N.C., native and a graduate of UNC-Chapel Hill’s Hussman School of Media and Journalism, Upadhyaya is a longtime college hoops junkie. Prior to joining The Daily Memphian in 2022, he covered high school sports in western Pennsylvania for the Beaver County Times and Penn State football for the Centre Daily Times.
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