Hench Named National Player Of The Year, Leads Slew Of Awards
Posted: 1/25/2010
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Junior Erin Hench, senior Amanda Naehrer, head coach Scott Frey and junior Molly Bletz were all honored at the national level last week. Seniors Carey Cortese and Katlyn Musser, along with junior Katie Hoffsmith, earned regional recognition.

Philadelphia, PA — For the second straight season, the National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas NCAA Division III National Player of the Year resides on the Messiah women’s soccer team, as junior Erin Hench was honored with the award at last weekend’s 2010 NSCAA Convention at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Philadelphia.

Hench earned the honor just one year after then-junior Amanda Naeher claimed the program’s first-ever national player of the year award — both coming on the heels of national championship seasons.

“It’s a well-deserved honor,” said Scott Frey, Messiah head coach. “Erin is maybe the most influential player on the field for us, on both sides of the ball. She’s the special breed of a forward who impacts the game when she has the ball, but also when we’re trying to get it back. That’s a unique quality in a player. Erin does the little things that so often go unnoticed; her work rate and effort without the ball. She has an uncanny ability to be in the right place when we’re in our defensive third and trying to get out and helps us keep it once we get it. It’s those innate things that you can’t teach, but boy, for whatever reason she has them.”

A workhorse in the Falcons’ front line, Hench dished out a program-best 18 assists this season, the second most by any player in all of NCAA Division III women’s soccer on the year. Her 16 goals were second most on the team, while her 39 career assists are a program record.

Hench assisted Naeher in Messiah’s only goal in its 1-0 win over Washington University-St. Louis in this year’s national championship time, hooking up with the Falcons’ all-time leading goal scorer an incredible 15 times on the season.

“You notice when Erin Hench is not on the field,” Frey said. “Coming out of high school, her job was to score goals. But her game has broadened immensely during her time here. The ultimate compliment I can give her? She makes everybody around her better. For her to have that many assists from the position she plays … it really is incredible.”

Naeher joined Hench with NSCAA First Team All-America honors, as the ’08 player of the year seemingly duplicated her ridiculous numbers from the season prior: After scoring a single-season program-record 33 goals last season, the Seymour, Conn. native put in 31 tallies in ’09 — complete with 11 assists — en route to a single-season program record 73 points.

Naeher’s 76 career goals and 177 career points already stand as program records, but the sturdy forward will have the opportunity to add to her totals, as she has elected to use her fourth year of eligibility and return to Messiah next fall. Naeher did not play as a freshman, instead focusing solely on playing basketball.

“For Amanda to go back-to-back seasons with 30-plus goals?” Frey asked. “Wow. This year, I thought it was more impressive. She was no longer an unknown quantity. Teams knew all about her this year, and she still was incredible. That says a lot about her as a competitor.”

Hench and Naeher became just the third pair from the same school to claim Division III women’s soccer player of the year honors in back-to-back seasons, while it was the third time in program history that Messiah boasted a pair of First Team All-Americans in the same season. Naeher shared the honor with then-senior Kacie Klynstra last year, while ’08 grads Avie Fitzgerald and Stef Rowe each earned the honor in 2007.

“Amanda and Erin both compete,” Frey said. “If you look in their eyes when we’re down or even, it’s just a look of, ‘We’re going to get this done.’ It may not happen every time, but they’re going to give it their all. Over the past three years, they’ve been willing to risk. And the thing with risk is, there’s a chance for failure. They’re not afraid of that.”

Messiah has won more often than not during Hench and Naeher’s tenure, posting a 72-1-3 record over the last three years, winning two national championships while appearing in three title contests. Frey was honored following this season’s 25-0-1 mark, earning National Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his 10-year tenure. His other award came during following the 2005 season, Messiah’s first national championship campaign.

Known for guiding a program that stresses team over individual, Frey said that he appreciates these awards for a simple reason — they reflect team success.

“It is about all of our girls, no question,” he said. “It’s directly related to what we’ve done as a group.”

In addition to earning All-American honors, Hench and Naeher each earned NSCAA First Team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors, as did senior defender Carey Cortese and junior defender Katie Hoffsmith. Senior Katlyn Musser was a Second Team All-Region selection.

Junior Molly Bletz was also honored over the weekend, winning the NCAA’s ‘Elite 88’ award in the sport of Division III women’s soccer, an honor going to the player with the highest grade point average at that sport’s respective national championships. The award’s moniker is in reference to the 88 national championships the NCAA offers at the Division I, II and III levels.

Bletz — a biology major and key cog to Messiah’s sturdy back line — currently boasts a 4.0 GPA.

“What’s special is that these awards come from the outside,” Frey said. “For people outside of our program to take notice of what we’re doing, of course it makes you feel good. And what’s cool is that these players are some of the most humble kids you’ll ever meet. They really acknowledge that these are all team awards, and they truly believe it.”