Wake Forest Athletics
Stengel and Bledsoe Named to NSCAA All-America Team
12/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Dec. 9, 2011
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - After helping lead Wake Forest to its first-ever College Cup appearance, Demon Deacon sophomores Katie Stengel and Aubrey Bledsoe have been named to the NSCAA All-America Team, as announced by the organization Friday.
Stengel, the ACC's Offensive Player of the Year, made the All-America First Team, following up on her freshman season when she took home second team honors. She is Wake Forest's first-ever First Team All-American and is the first Demon Deacon to earn repeat All-America honors from the NSCAA. Bledsoe was selected to this year's All-America Second Team.
Despite their sophomore standing, Bledsoe and Stengel are already two of the most decorated players in Wake Forest women's soccer history. In addition to taking home ACC Player of the Year Honors, Stengel is a two-time MAC Hermann Tropy semifinalist and two-time First Team All-ACC selection.
A forward, her first two seasons at Wake Forest have been the two highest-scoring in school history, and her 19 goals and 46 goals this season are new school single-season records. She has led the ACC in goal-scoring the past two seasons, becoming the first player to lead the conference in back-to-back years since North Carolina's Mia Hamm did so in 1992 and 1993. In only two seasons wearing the old gold and black, she sits only one goal and three points shy of the Wake Forest career scoring records.
Bledsoe is the centerpiece of a Wake Forest defense that this year ranked as one of the best in the ACC. A goalkeeper, she kept 14 shutouts this season, shattering the previous school record of nine, and her goals against average of 0.74 was the second-lowest season mark in program history. Bledsoe was the lone keeper on the 2011 All-ACC First Team, following up on her freshman season of 2010 that saw her garner ACC Tournament MVP honors after leading the Demon Deacons to their first-ever ACC Championship.
In addition to their success for the Demon Deacons, Bledsoe and Stengel attended a U.S. U-23 National Team camp in October that was overseen by full national team coach Pia Sundhage, making Wake Forest one of only three schools to have multiple players invited. They have both excelled off of the pitch as well, earning Capital One Academic All-District honors.
Bledsoe and Stengel were major components of a Wake Forest squad that posted a program-best 18-4-4 record in 2011 and reached the school's first-ever College Cup. All 11 Demon Deacon starters are expected to return next season.
