BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (November 6, 2019) – The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) unveiled its 2019 women's soccer postseason honors where Howard University racked up numerous awards. The announcement came Wednesday night before tourney play.
 
Among the honorees included sophomores Thalia Boucher (SWAC Co-Player of the Year; All-SWAC First Team), Kendall Macauly (SWAC Defensive Player of the Year; All-SWAC First Team) and Victoria Thornton (All-SWAC Second Team) and senior Alayah Hightower (SWAC Goalkeeper of the Year; All-SWAC First Team). Coach Brent Leiba was named league's coach of the year.
 
Boucher (Toronto, Canada) collected SWAC Co-Offensive Player of the Year accolades after leading the top-seed Bison to a 12-3 (9-1 SWAC) overall record. The Toronto native recorded eight goals and two assists, tallying 18 points on the season. She also finished first in the league with four game-winning goals.
 
Macauly (Toronto, Canada) picked up SWAC Defensive Player of the Year honors after helping anchor Howard's defensive attack that did not concede a goal in 10 contests throughout the season. The two-time defensive player of the week honoree aided the Bison in allowed just .67 goals per match while limiting opponents to a combined 149 shots on goal.
 
Hightower (Largo, Md.) earned the 2019 SWAC Goalkeeper of the Year award by leading the conference in goals against average (31-percent). She ranks first in the league with a .914 save percentage and responsible for 10 shutouts, including eight during SWAC play.
 
Leiba earned the SWAC Coach of the Year award as he guided the Bison to a 12-3 record (9-1 SWAC) and a share of the conference regular season title. Under Leiba's direction, Howard allowed 0.67 goals per game and boasted the best scoring margin among all teams. Additionally, Howard gave up only 10 goals throughout the entire regular season.
 
Thornton (Plainfield, Ill.) started all 15 contests for the Bison where she produced five goals, including three game-winners. The Illinois native best performance came against Alcorn State (Oct. 20), drilling a pair of goals in the back of the net.
 
Mississippi Valley State's Beatriz Kretteis won SWAC Freshman of the Year while Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Sarah Wright shared the conference co-player of the year award with Boucher.
 
The teams and award winners were determined in a vote among the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
To view the 2019 SWAC Women's Soccer Postseason Honors, please click here.
 
HU's quest for the tournament title begins Thursday (Nov. 7) when they take on No. 8 Southern in the SWAC Tournament Quarterfinals. Match time is set for 11 a.m. (ET)/10 a.m. (CT).
 
Fans can follow all the action at www.pvpanthers.com or www.SWAC.org.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com or the SWAC website at www.SWAC.org.