CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –Three members of the Virginia women’s soccer team were honored by TopDrawerSoccer.com with selection to one of the publication’s Best XI teams, the website announced with the release of its teams this week.
Junior defender Phoebe McClernon (West Chester, Pa.) was named a Best XI third team selection, while freshmen forwards Alexa Spaanstra (Brighton, Mich.) and Rebecca Jarrett (Washington Township, N.J.) were named to Best XI Freshman Teams. Spaanstra was a first team freshman selection, while Jarrett was a second team freshman selection.
McClernon, a junior defender, helped the Cavaliers post 10 shutouts on the season with four of those shutouts coming in ACC play, while two came in the NCAA Tournament. Twice this season McClernon helped anchor a back line that held the opponent without a shot and five more times the opponent was held to two shots or fewer. She played a team-leading 1,858 minutes this season, including the full time in 13 of Virginia’s 22 matches.
Spaanstra paced the Cavalier offense in her first season, leading the team in points with 24 as she tied for the team lead in goals (9) and assists (6). Two of her goals were game-winning goals, hitting the game winner over Syracuse and against Monmouth in the opening-round of the NCAA Tournament. Spaanstra notched a brace in both matches. Four of her six assists came on game-winning goals, including game-winning assists against Cincinnati, at No. 12 Duke and in both wins over Louisville. She was named an All-ACC selection, an ACC All-Freshman selection and a United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection.
Jarrett tallied six goals on the year, finishing third on the squad in goals scored, while adding two assists in her freshman campaign. Three of her six goals were game-winners, lifting the Cavaliers to victory over Hofstra, at No. 11 Penn State and at No. 12 Duke. Her two assists came in wins over Hofstra and in the ACC quarterfinals against Louisville. She was named an ACC All-Freshman selection and an All-Region selection by the United Soccer Coaches.
This season, Virginia posted a 16-5-1 record, a third-place finish in the ACC regular-season standings and a berth in the NCAA Championships. It was the 25th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament – the second longest active streak – and the program’s 31st NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, the second most of any women’s soccer program. Virginia also advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the 14th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the nation.