MACON, Ga. – On the heels of earning the program’s first postseason berth, the Belmont women’s soccer team has placed four players on the Atlantic Sun All-Conference Team. Senior defender Sarah Brandt (Hendersonville, Tenn.) was named to the first team, senior goalkeeper Micaela Crowley (Hoover, Ala.) was named to the second team, and rookies Erica Carter (Spring, Texas) and Jessica Rix (Carmel, Ind.) were named to the All-Freshman Team. This is the largest number of Belmont players selected in a single season to receive the honor.

“I am very happy with the four players receiving All-Conference awards,” said Head Coach Lisa Howe. “I thought the list of nominees was very deep and very talented. I am happy that the other coaches consider Sarah, Micaela, Jessica, and Erica to be a part of this exclusive group. One of the best accomplishments is being one of only two teams that have more than one player on the All-Freshman team. We are excited about our achievements this year, but I don’t think we will stop with one good year.”

Brandt, who was recently named to the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV First Team, was one of four players to start and play in all 20 regular season matches this season. She helped anchor a Bruin defensive line that allowed only three goals through the first 12 matches of the season. The three-time Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team selection moved into fourth on Belmont’s career assists list earlier this season and is seventh in all-time matches played. Last year, Brandt was named to the A-Sun’s second team and becomes the first Bruin to ever make a repeat appearance on the All-Conference list.

“Sarah is one of the fastest and most athletic defenders in the conference. I think she could start at left back for every A-Sun team. She runs from endline to endline for 90 minutes every game. Her left foot and ability to serve from the left side make her a special player. I think Sarah’s best quality is her individual defending. She is one of the most difficult players to beat 1 vs. 1 that I have coached.”

Crowley is the first Belmont goalkeeper to ever earn Atlantic Sun All-Conference honors. She shattered many program records over the course of her senior season, including career shutouts, saves, and all-time minutes played, a record that had stood since 2000. At the end of the regular season in the conference statistics, she is currently ranked first in shutouts and GAA, and fifth in saves. As of November 4th, she was ranked 38th in NCAA Division I for save percentage and was ranked in the nation’s top-10 for three weeks for GAA earlier this year after going 300:15 minutes without allowing a single goal.

“If I was going to coach a team of the best players in the A-Sun, I would start by picking Micaela to be the goalkeeper. She is one of the most agile and athletic goalkeepers in the conference and Micaela has worked hard over the last three years to become a complete goalkeeper,” Howe said. “She is good at defending crosses. She has great diving range. She covers a lot of ground with her quickness and explosiveness. Micaela’s record numbers will stand at Belmont for a long time.”

Carter made an immediate impact in her first season, playing in all 20 regular season matches with 15 starts. The freshman leads the Bruins in goals, points, and game winners and is second on the team in assists, shots, and shots on goal. She is also ranked 10th in the Atlantic Sun in goals scored. Carter has also broken into the record books at Belmont, tying for sixth in goals scored in a single season and tying for 10th in points in a single season.

“Erica is definitely one of the best freshmen in the conference in a conference full of good rookies,” Howe said. “Her speed and athleticism is in a different class than most forwards in this league. She is difficult to defend with her back to goal and almost impossible to defend when she is running at a defender. I think she will be a force to be reckoned with in the future.”

Rix is the only freshman to start and play in all 20 regular season matches for Belmont. She was also a member of the Bruins’ stellar defensive line that allowed only three goals through the first 12 matches of the season. Rix scored one goal during her freshman campaign.

“Jessica is a sophisticated center back. She is hard in the tackle and good in the air. Jessica has great long and short distribution out of the back. She plays a key role in our defensive statistical numbers but also helps start our attack,” Howe said. “In a conference with some great center backs, Jessica ranks right up there as a freshman.”

Belmont returns to action on Wednesday, November 7th in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Tournament. It is the first time in program history that Belmont has advanced to the conference championship. BU is seeded third in the tournament and will face off against #6 Jacksonville.