soccer Seven women's soccer players were recognized in the conference. Harding University's women's soccer team had a record of 9-10 in the Great American Conference (GAC) in fall 2019. Seven teammates were recognized by coaches at the conference in the categories of honorable mention, second team and first team. Honorable mention was for teammates who executed assists and goals during the game and was awarded to junior Jessica Woessner, sophomore Parker Smitherman and senior Nicole Morgan. The next tier was second team, which was awarded to players who had more time on the field than those who received honorable mention. Second team was awarded to sophomore Samantha Rupe and seniors Michelle Morgan and Melanie Spurgeon. The last tier -- first team -- was given to players who excelled in their performance on the field. First team was awarded to junior Emma Welch, who displayed great sportsmanship and effort in conference games. Although several Harding women were rewarded for their sportsmanship on the field, many players did not receive the same recognition, such as sophomore Grace Ann Green. As midfielder, Green facilitated the transition between plays for the defensive line and provided time for her teammates to decide their next moves. "I love the position that I play because it's very simple, and you get to just stay in the back a little more," Green said. "I prefer defense to offense so I can stay in the back and distribute the ball forward." Green was one of many players who worked hard, but because her position did not hold statistics, her recognition was often overlooked. "Grace Ann dictates how we move forward; she connects the dots between our offense and defense," Nicole Morgan said. "She does a great job of playing quickly and distributing the ball throughout the entire field, which makes it very easy to transition for us. She's very good at it, and she does it well." While Green's position on the field did not receive recognition from competing coaches at the GAC, she was recognized as an essential part of the team by her coach and teammates. Welch said Green worked hard during every practice and encouraged her teammates when they felt discouraged. "A lot of the girls on the team look up to her because of how hard she works," Welch said. Nicole Morgan, Green and Welch said the women's soccer team was a closeknit family that encouraged one another to push each of their limits spiritually, academically and physically. They said the women showed the love of Christ to one another and to others, on and off the field, and the senior team captains encouraged the team to be a family and trust one another. Nicole Morgan said although the team worked to succeed on the field, their unanimous goal was to succeed off the field academically and spiritually. "The result didn't matter," Nicole Morgan said. "At the end of the day, we were athletes. We wanted to compete, but that was our main goal this season. To be a family no matter the results, and I just think that fact is really important for Harding soccer. That's a big deal to us." story by Katelyn Allen athl-etics 243
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