Moran, a two-time All-MIAC honoree, scored seven goals and 10 assists in 40 games over two seasons with the Tommies. She helped St. Thomas go 27-7-6, make two NCAA playoff appearances, win the 2008 conference championship, and take second in 2009.

Moran is the first All-America for Tommie soccer since Tessie Thompson won back-to-back honors in 2001 and 2002.

Thirty-seven players were selected on three teams. Moran was one of three MIAC players chosen, along with second-team defender Maddie Mette of Macalester, and third-team forward Sam Johnson of Concordia-Moorhead.

The trio is among six MIAC players who made first-team All North Region. That group includes UST forward Erin Sprangers (SR-Woodbury/Hill-Murray). Sprangers, a two-time All-MIAC honoree, had 71 points in 72 career games (30 goals, 11 assists), and UST went 24-2 on her career when she scored a goal. The Tomswere 24-4-6 when she played the last two seasons. The 2008 conference Player of the Year, and a two-time All-Region honoree, Sprangers has a 3.70 gpa in Psychology. She’s also a track and field All-American and has contributed to seven MIAC team championships in soccer and track and field.

Click here to view NSCAA story and All-America team:

http://www.nscaa.com/articles/20091207214524528.php

Click here to view NSCAA story and All-Region team:

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/index.php/2009/11/12/miac-profiles-of-excellence-erin-sprange?blog=5

UST outshot the Pointers 11-7.

Allie Byron had four goals in net and UWSP's Liz Hunter had six saves.  

Point plays Sunday at 6 p.m. against host Augustana, a 2-1 winner over Albion.  

Coach Sheila McGill's team, which plays Saturday in Rock Island, Ill., in the NCAA playoffs, had two repeaters among 20 first-team honorees -- forwards Erin Sprangers (SR-Woodbury/Hill-Murray) and Kirsten Moran (SR-Southlake, Tex./Carroll).

Kirsten Moran has seven goals and 10 assists in 39 games over two seasons with the Tommies.

Sprangers has 71 points in 71 career games (30 goals, 11 assists), and UST is 24-2 on her career when she scores a goal. The Toms are 24-4-6 when she’s played the last two seasons. The 2008 conference Player of the Year, an All-Region honoree and a two-time all-conference recipient, Sprangers has a 3.70 gpa in Psychology. She’s also a track and field All-American and has contributed to seven MIAC team championships in soccer and track and field.

Forward Lexie Fisher (JR-Buffalo/Rockford) made the elite first team for the first time. Fisher has five goals and seven assists over the last two seasons.

Forward Regina Horak (S0-Elm Grove, Wis./Brookfield East) and defender Tess Hanson (SO-Rochester/John Marshall) were among 17 named honorable mention All-MIAC. Emily Burgmeier (SO-Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert) was named to the MIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

Horak missed last season with an injury but has made several important goals in her career. All nine of Horak's career goals have provided the winning margin, and St. Thomas is 9-0 when she scores a goal.

Hanson was named to the ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District V team. She was honored on the second team. She's one of a select group of Tommie student-athletes to maintain a 4.00 grade-point average. Hanson has started all 38 games on her career and helped the Tommies post 27-6-5 record in that span.

Burgmeier has played in 36 games the last two seasons and has scored two assists.

Click here to view MIAC news release:

http://www.miac-online.org/news/2009/11/10/WSOC_1110091757.aspx

--UST plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m., in Rock Island, Ill., and has a first-round rematch with UW-Stevens Point (15-3-1). That follows a 5 p.m. game between host Augustana (Ill.) (18-1-1) and Albion (Mich.) (9-4-6).

The winners play Sunday at 6 p.m. for the championship, with that victor reaching in the national round of 16.

Click here to view tourney webpage:

http://www.augustana.edu/x17235.xml

--This marks the Tommies' ninth NCAA women’s soccer playoff berth and second in a row. St. Thomas reached the national Final Four in 1987, and in 2002 advanced to the Division III Elite Eight where they lost a two-overtime, 0-0 shootout to eventual national champion Ohio Wesleyan. Last season, the Toms lost a shootout after a 1-1 deadlock with Loras.

--The Tommies are among four MIAC teams and five Minnesota teams in the field. Carleton won the conference playoff and took the automatic berth, while Concordia-Moorhead and Macalester also received Pool C bids. Mac and Concordia join St. Scholastica of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and Dubuque in a four-team weekend tourney hosted by Macalester, while Carleton travels to Chicago for first-round play against Wheaton.

--St. Thomas won the 2008 MIAC championship and placed second behind Concordia this year. Coach Sheila McGill’s team is 27-6-6 over the last two seasons.

--St. Thomas was ranked as high at No. 13 nationally in 2008 and as high as No. 24 this season.

--UST started this season 2-2 while playing without ace forward Erin Sprangers. The Toms then put together an 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) before it lost three one-goal matches to Concordia and Macalester late in the season.

--The Tommies is 5-0 vs. Wisconsin state university teams, including a 1-0 victory over UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 3. The Tommies also edged the Pointers 3-2 in overtime in October 2008

--UST has recorded nine shutouts and have allowed just 14 goals in 18 games this season. The Toms also had 10 shutouts in regulation last season and 12 goals allowed in 20 games.

--Sophomore Allie Byron is 8-5-1 in goal the last two seasons, while junior Amanda Domeier is 11-1-4 and freshman Callan Faulkner is 4-0.

--The Toms are 7-0-1 in away games and 0-1 on neutral fields in 2009. Last season, they went 9-0-2 on the road and 0-0-1 at neutral sites.

--Ten different players have scored goals for UST in 2009.

--Senior Kirsten Moran has seven goals and 10 assists in 39 games over two seasons with the Tommies.

--Sprangers has 71 points in 71 career games (30 goals, 11 assists), and UST is 24-2 on her career when she scores a goal. The Toms are 24-4-6 when she’s played the last two seasons. The 2008 conference Player of the Year, an All-Region honoree and a two-time all-conference recipient, Sprangers has a 3.70 gpa in Psychology. She’s also a track and field All-American and has contributed to seven MIAC team championships in soccer and track and field.

--Junior forward Regina Horak missed last season with an injury but has made several important goals in her career. All nine of Horak's career goals have been the official game winners, and St. Thomas is 9-0 when she scores a goal.

--Sophomore Cailee Ostermann has just two career goals but both have been huge on the road to win overtime games – against Stevens Point in 2008, and at UW-Eau Claire this season.

--Junior forward Lexie Fisher has five goals and seven assists over the last two seasons.

--Fourteen of the Tommie are Minnesotans with players also from Wisconsin, Iowa, Texas and Colorado.

--Sophomore defender Tess Hanson was named to the ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District V team. She was honored on the second team. She's one of a select group of Tommie studnet-athletes to maintain a 4.00 grade-point average. Hanson has started all 38 games on her career games and helped the Tommies post 27-6-5 record in that span.

It's the Tommies' ninth NCAA soccer playoff berth and second in a row.

UST plays Saturday at 7:30 p.m., in Rock Island, Ill., and have a rematch with UW-Stevens Point. That follows a 5 p.m. game between host Augustana (Ill.) and Albion (Mich.)

Brackets will be announced later this morning, but the Tommies are among four MIAC teams and five Minnesota teams in the field. Six of the seven teams in last week's Central Region

Carleton won the conference playoff and took the automatic berth, while Concordia-Moorhead and Macalester also recieived Pool C bids. St. Scholastica of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference received a Pool B bid.

The conference runner-up at 13-5-1, St. Thomas started the season 2-2 without ace forward Erin Sprangers (71 points in 71 career games). The Toms then had an 11-game unbeaten streak (10-0-1) before it lost three one-goal matches to Concordia and Macalester late in the season.

The Tommies went 5-0 vs. Wisconsin state university teams, including a 1-0 victory over UW-Stevens Point.

In Division III men's soccer, conference champion Carleton missed the field after a loss in the playoffs to Macalester. Carleton lost 2-0 in the regular-season finale to St. Olaf, and the Oles received an NCAA bid.

Click here to access NCAA news release:

http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-soccer/spec-rel/110809aad.html

Hanson, a 2008 graduate of Rochester Mayo High, has started 37 of 38 career games and helped the Tommies post 27-6-5 record in that span. She scored two assists last season and helped the 2008 Toms win the program's first outright conference title in 21 seasons.

The Scots (13-4-2) have won four in a row, all by shutouts, including a pair of 1-0 road wins over St. Thomas. They will play host to Carleton in Saturday's finals. The Knights won on the road against top-seed Concordia after they scored a tying goal in the 88th minute and won a shootout after two scoreless overtimes.

Bardwell took a long pass from Lucy Miner and beat the Tommie keeper to the ball and scored her 14th goal of the season.

The Tommies (13-5-1) had a 19-7 advantage in shots (9-2 in on-goal shots) and an 11-5 edge in corner kicks but could get the equalizer. They outshot Macalester 38-13 in the two losses, both since Oct. 24.

Mac's Rosie Glenn-Finer had eight saves as she shutout the Toms twice in a 10-day stretch.

Click here for box score:

http://www.tommiesports.com/ws/stats/11-3-ws.htm

The Tommies (13-4-1 overall, 8-2-1 MIAC) locked up second place in the MIAC standings and secured a home playoff berth Tuesday at 2 p.m. against Macalester.

UST had a 12-3 advantage in shots on goal.

Kirsten Moran fed Sprangers on a cross and the senior converted the winning goal. Amanda Domeier (67 minutes) and Allie Byron (23 minutes) combined on the shutout in net.

Click here for box score:

http://www.saintmaryssports.com/custompages/wsoc/2009/1031ustw.htm

No. 7-ranked Concordia (15-0-1 overall, 9-0-1 MIAC) remained unbeaten as it scored in the 10th and 60th minute to take a 2-0 lead. The Cobbers got goals from three different players and held off a late UST surge.

No. 24-ranked St. Thomas (12-4-2 overall, 7-2-1 MIAC), last season's conference champions, lost its second one-goal game at home in four days.

The Toms have clinched a playoff spot and can wrapup a home playoff game with a win Saturday at St. Mary's.

St. Thomas senior Erin Sprangers scored goals in the 61st and 86th minutes -- her fourth career two-goal game. Emily Burgmeier and Lexie Fisher had the assists for the Tommies.

Sprangers now has 69 points in 69 games (29 goals, 11 assists). It was just the second time in 25 career contests that the Toms lost when Sprangers scored a goal.

To view more Greg Smith action photos, click here:

www.gsmithsports.com

Goalkeeper Allie Byron (Greg Smith photo)

Erin Sprangers scores one of her two goals in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Concordia. (Greg Smith photo)

Anna Strehlow (6), Brittany Cochlin (17) (Greg Smith photo)

Ale Wicka (right) (Greg Smith Photo)

Whitney Moran (13) (Greg Smith photo)

Emily Burgmeier (4) (Greg Smith photo)