BYU's Vasconcelos named Cougars' 3rd-straight WCC player of the year

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PROVO — For the third-straight year, a BYU women’s soccer player has won West Coast Conference player of the year honors.

It’s the third different player, as well.

Senior forward Michele Vasconcelos received the conference’s highest honor, as voted on by the WCC’s 10 coaches, the WCC announced Tuesday afternoon.

Vasconcelos, who finished with 14 goals and 12 assists, had seven goals and seven assists in conference play. She led a three-pronged attack, which included 2014 WCC player of the year Ashley Hatch and 2015 WCC player of the year Nadia Gomes, to the Cougars’ fifth-straight conference crown as WCC co-champs.

BYU junior Taylor Isom was named WCC defender of the year, anchoring a backline that allowed just nine goals on the season. Playing next to freshman Danika Bowman, who earned all-conference freshman team honors, the junior helped corral a defense that allowed just nine goals all season, including two in conference play. The Cougars boasted a league-best 0.22 goals-against average with seven shutouts while playing two goalkeepers in Hannah Clark and Rachel Boaz, who suffered a broken hand in BYU’s win over defending national champion Penn State.

In addition to Vasconcelos and Isom, BYU placed Hatch and midfielder Elena Medeiros on the All-WCC first team. Gomes was named to the All-WCC second team, while Clark took league honorable mention honors.

Pepperdine’s Hannah Seabert was named WCC goalkeeper of the year, and Santa Clara’s Gudrun Arnardotti took freshman of the year honors. The Waves and Broncos also qualified for the NCAA Tournament, marking three-straight years of three WCC teams earning postseason bids.

Pepperdine’s Tim Ward collected WCC coach of the year honors for the third time in six seasons.

No. 4-ranked BYU opens the NCAA Tournament at 7 p.m. Friday against UNLV. The Cougars and Rebels will meet for the 18th time in program history but just the second time since both were members of the Mountain West Conference in 2010.

For a complete list of WCC honorees, visit wccsports.com.