Missouri State's Samantha Aguilar has been named the league's 2009 Player of the Year by a vote of league women's soccer coaches.  Aguilar leads the team in goals (5) and points (11) for the second consecutive season. She is the first player to lead the team in back-to-back seasons in goals and points since 1996-97 (Jamie Hautzinger).

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Samantha Aguilar, Missouri State
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Danielle Mutters, Illinois State
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:  Brittney Neumann, Creighton
MVC FAIR PLAY AWARD:  Illinois State (fewest cards in conference play)
COACHING STAFF OF THE YEAR:  Illinois State (Drew Roff, Kellie Evans, Dee Nocero)

 Aguilar helped the Bears to a second-place regular-season finish -- the highest finish in school history.  Missouri State ended the regular season on a five game unbeaten streak. Their 4-0-1 run is the best five-game span since the team won six straight matches in 2006.

 The league's Defensive Player of the Year for the second-straight year is Illinois State's Danielle Mutters.  Mutters is just the third player in league history to earn the league's top defensive honor in back-to-back seasons, joining Evansville's Terra May (1996-97) and Missouri State's Sarah Guenther (2003-04).  The Redbird defense tied Missouri State with three shutouts in conference play while the Redbirds had a league-best goals against average during MVC contests (0.67).

 The league's Freshman of the Year was the league's top-scoring newcomer, as Creighton's Brittney Neumann scored seven goals during the season to lead the Bluejays and rank third among all MVC players.  She was second overall during the season with 19 points, trailing only Illinois State's Jess Carlson (23 points).  Neumann was twice named the league's Offensive Player of the Week, including this past week after scoring a pair of goals with an assist in two CU victories.

 The top four seeds dominated the composition of the all-conference teams as top-seeded and second-seeded Illinois State and Missouri State each has six players on either the first- or second-team units.  Creighton has four, while Drake, three honorees.  Nineteen of the 24 first- or second-team honors are from the league's top four teams.

 Four student-athletes were repeat selections to the first-team unit, including D Danielle Mutters and MF Raquel Rattray of Illinois State; and MF Samantha Aguilar and D Jordan Reppell of Missouri State.

 Illinois State's coaching staff, led by head coach Drew Roff, was voted the MVC Coaching Staff of the Year.  It marks the fourth year the league has honored a staff (rather than singling out the head coach).   Roff's staff won the award in 2007, while former ISU mentor Pete Kowall had two Coach of the Year honors (1998, 2001).

 The All-Missouri Valley Conference Team was honored at a banquet Thursday night in Omaha, Neb.   Following two semifinal matches on Friday, Nov. 6 (3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m.), the league's championship match will take place this Sunday, Nov. 8 at 1:07 p.m.  The State Farm MVC Tournament championship match will air live on the MVC TV Network, while the semifinals are available on the league's videostreaming package -- "MVC Live."