Point Park Women's Soccer garners four All-RSC First Team selections in 2023
PITTSBURGH -- Point Park University women's soccer garnered four selections to the All-River States Conference First Team for 2023. The RSC named 14 players each to the All-RSC First, Second & Third Teams with voting conducted by the league's 11 head coaches. All of Point Park's honorees made the first team to tie for the most in the conference.
Each of the three All-RSC teams included four forwards, four midfielders, four defenders and two goalkeepers. Also named was the RSC Champions of Character Team with one recipient from each school best displaying the NAIA five character values.
Holly Pascoe and Lorena Montanes headlined Point Park's selections as some big individual award winners. Pascoe, a senior forward from Christchurch, New Zealand, was named RSC Player of the Year and RSC Offensive Player of the Year. Montanes, a senior midfielder from Pamplona, Spain, was selected RSC Newcomer of the Year.
Point Park's four All-RSC First Team selections included Pascoe at forward, Montanes at midfield, Orsi Tatai at defender and Maggie Pappas at goalkeeper. The Pioneers had the top player in the conference at two of the four positions and the second-best player at the other two positions.
As the leading vote-getter in the entire conference, Pascoe earned RSC Player of the Year honors. She topped the forward category to win RSC Offensive Player of the Year. Tatai led all voting in the defender category and was one of the finalists for RSC Defensive Player of the Year. Montanes at midfield and Pappas a goalkeeper were second in their position categories.
Point Park's RSC Champions of Character honoree was also Pascoe. She was selected for best exhibiting the NAIA values of respect, responsibilities, integrity, servant leadership and sportsmanship.
For the complete listing of All-RSC Teams & Awards, click here. See below for a summary of Point Park's selections.
HOLLY PASCOE (F, Sr., Christchurch, New Zealand) -- ALL-RSC FIRST TEAM
Pascoe capped off her two years at Point Park with a stellar season. She tied for the conference lead with 16 goals and led the conference with nine assists and 41 points to claim RSC Player of the Year and RSC Offensive Player of the Year honors. She also added three game-winning goals to tie for the RSC best. Nationally, Pascoe ranked 25th in the NAIA in goals and 22nd in points. A transfer from NCAA Division II Mississippi College, she piled up 30 goals and 73 points in her two years with the Pioneers. Pascoe increased her scoring from her junior year, which was 14 goals and four assists. It was her second year in a row on the All-RSC First Team.
LORENA MONTANES (M, Sr., Pampona, Spain) -- ALL-RSC FIRST TEAM
Montanes transferred to Point Park this year from NCAA Division I school Fresno State (Calif.) University. She a spot on the All-RSC First Team as one of the four midfielders. She was Top 10 in the RSC in goals, assists and points to join teammate Pascoe as one of the few players in the RSC to do that. Montanes was third in the conference in assists with seven, seventh in points with 25 and ninth in goals with nine. She played in all 20 games starting 18 times. Montanes was an All-Mountain West Conference selection in her time at Fresno State.
ORSI TATAI (D, Sr., Budapest, Hungary) -- ALL-RSC FIRST TEAM
Tatai was a finalist for RSC Defensive Player of the Year as the leading vote-getter in the defender category. She led the four defenders selected to the All-RSC First Team. It was her first season at Point Park since transferring from NAIA Goshen (Ind.). Tatai started all 18 games in which she played at center back. She anchored a defense that gave up 25 goals in 20 games, including 12 in the 10 RSC games.
MAGGIE PAPPAS (GK, So., Pittsburgh, Pa.) -- ALL-RSC FIRST TEAM
Pappas earned one of the two goalkeeper spots on the All-RSC First Team. She had a record of 6-3-3 on the year to get points for the Pioneers in nine of the 12 games she started. Pappas was 5-1-1 in RSC games to rank second in the conference in total conference wins and conference win percentage. Pappas had a goals-against average of 1.21 in her 14 games played, which was also second in the conference. Pappas is a graduate of Avonworth HS, where she led her team to the state championship game as a senior.