2023 All-Region | Division II Women's Soccer

2023 All-Region | Division II Women's Soccer

The 2023 Division II Women's Soccer teams were released on Wednesday after yet another competitive season around the league. This year, the DII league expanded to nine teams with the addition of Iowa Central, Iowa Lakes and Western Iowa Tech.


Selections, 48 in total, were made based on each team's finish in the conference standings.

Northeast won the regular season title for the fourth-straight season, beating out Iowa Central who finished in second place. The Hawks received four First Team selections on the list, but the top honor went to Iowa Central's Landry McCoid. The Triton's freshman forward was voted as the 2023 ICCAC Division II Women's Soccer Player of the Year after an outstanding offensive season.
 
The Ankeny, Iowa native led the ICCAC in scoring with 79 points, 15 higher than the next highest scorer. She recorded 35 goals, the most by an ICCAC Division II player in the division's four-year existence, beating Northeast's Taryn O'Brien's 31 from last season.
 
McCoid had nine multi-goal games and three games of four or more goals. She had 19 points in a span of two games, scoring nine goals and adding an assist.
 
McCoid ranks second in the nation in both categories behind Anika Elgin of Rock Valley (Ill.) who has 36 goals and 85 points.
 
Iowa Central put two other players on the First Team in Eden Palkovic and Lydia Zaragoza
 
Palkovic and McCoid were a top duo in the country this season. Palkovic was second in the conference in points scored with 64. She had 19 goals and 26 assists, many to McCoid. Together they combined for 143 points. 
 
Zaragoza was a top 25 scorer in the country, rounding out the trio. She had 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 goal contributions and 42 points. 
 
Northeast was led by three forwards and Aidyn Woodall, Anna Schloeglmann and Talia Sanders along with goalkeeper Hannah Thornell
 
Woodall and Thornell return to the list this season. Woodall is the lone returner to the First Team from last year, while Thornell made the jump from Honorable Mention. 
 
Statistically, Woodall was the Hawk's leading scorer totaling 16 goals and 18 assists for 50 points, 14th most in the country. She came up big in big spots for the Hawks all year as they reached their fourth-straight National Tournament appearance. Woodall scored in each of the last six matches leading up to the national tournament, including two goals in the District Championship against No. 7 Johnson County (Kan.).
 
Thornell has a .76 goals against average this season -- with just 16 goals allowed in 21 matches. She has made 76 saves, including 17 combined in the region and district championship games. 
 
Sanders is fourth in the conference in goals this season with 17. She added three assists as well. Schloeglmann was more of a facilitator for the Hawks, having 17 assists compared to six goals.
 
Northeast's Chad Miller garnered Coach of the Year honors again this season for the fourth-year in a row. The Hawk's have won the last four Region 11 Championships and four North Plains District titles. This season, Northeast have earned the No. 4 seed of the Region 11 Tournament, and hold a record of 19-1-1 leading into the final tournament.
 
Two teams received two selections this season in Hawkeye and Iowa Lakes. 
 
The RedTails had one of the league's best goalkeepers in Kim Bircher. Only a freshman, Bircher had the league's highest save percentage at .884. She made 61 saves and had eight shutouts for the RedTails, while only allowing eight goals. 
 
She was joined by teammate Morgan Aikey.  She tied for the team lead in points with 25, combining 10 goals with 5 assists. 
 
Iowa Lakes Maria Vilhena was a prolific goal-scorer for the Lakers this season. She replaced a three-time All-Region selection up top in former Laker Alexis Vasquez, and did so nicely. She netted 23 goals (second-most in ICCAC) and had 16 assists for 62 points. 
 
Izzy Bricheno, a Laker defender, was the team's other selection. 

Rounding out the First Team selections, NIACC, Southeastern and Western Iowa Tech each earned one nomination. 
 
Karly Holm represented NIACC after a 14-goal season, tied for sixth-best in the conference.
Karlee Ballast of Southeastern was an Honorable Mention selection a year ago, and moved up to First Team for the Blackhawks. 
 
In their first season, WIT's Brenda Villacres got the nod for the Comets.
 

First Team All-Region:

Name School Position Year
Kim Bircher Hawkeye GK Fr.
Morgan Aikey Hawkeye F So.
Eden Palkovic Iowa Central F Fr.
Landry McCoid Iowa Central F Fr.
Lydia Zaragoza Iowa Central M Fr.
Izzy Bricheno Iowa Lakes D So.
Maria Vilhena Iowa Lakes F So.
Karly Holm NIACC F Fr.
Aidyn Woodall Northeast F So.
Anna Schloeglmann Northeast F Fr.
Hannah Thornell Northeast GK So.
Talia Sanders Northeast F Fr.
Karlee Ballast Southeastern M So.
Brenda Villacres Western Iowa Tech CM Fr.

 

Second Team All-Region:

Name School Position Year
Annabell Veryard Hawkeye M Fr.
Grace Heddens Hawkeye F So.
Nelly Dallmann Hawkeye F Fr.
Abby Jensen Iowa Central M So.
Marissa Kiemen Iowa Central D So.
Nicole Mares-Rivera Iowa Central M So.
Cayley Winters Iowa Lakes M Fr.
Isabella Hernandez Iowa Lakes M Fr.
Manuela Correa Marshalltown CM So.
Jada Westover NIACC GK So.
Jaidyn Cavalieri Northeast M So.
Madisen Clegg Northeast M Fr.
Madison Province Northeast D Fr.
Marleigh Leister Northeast M Fr.
Ella Chitwood Scott M So.
Jace Herman Southeastern M So. 
Alexa Delatorre Western Iowa Tech F Fr.

 

Honorable Mention All-Region:

Name School Position Year
Avery Fleshner Hawkeye F So.
Riley Fleshner Hawkeye D So.
Abby Hersom Iowa Central D So.
Perla Rios Iowa Central D So.
Faith Martin Iowa Lakes M So.
Michelle Granja Iowa Lakes GK So.
Monserat Nunez Marshalltown D So.
Alina Turtschan NIACC M So.
Hallie Levi NIACC D Fr.
Alexis Lilienthal Northeast F Fr.
Esmeralda Castro Northeast D Fr.
Mia Van Groningen Dack Northeast M Fr.
Abby Kemper Scott M So.
Maria Jose Martinez Southeastern  M So.
Marlin Beltran Southeastern  GK Fr.
Emma Jolly Western Iowa Tech F Fr.
Zoe Wiggal Western Iowa Tech GK So.

 

Player of the Year: Landry McCoid, Iowa Central

Coach of the Year: Chad Miller, Northeast