Keil Chosen First Team All-Northwest Conference for Second Year in a Row

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Senior forward Shanna Keil (Danville, CA/San Ramon Valley HS) of Willamette University has been named First Team All-Northwest Conference for the 2019 season in voting by the NWC head coaches. It is the second consecutive season that Keil has earned First Team All-NWC honors. She was chosen Second Team All-NWC in 2017, before receiving First Team recognition for the first time in 2018.

Overall, the Bearcats placed four student-athletes on the 2019 All-Northwest Conference Women's Soccer Team. Keil was Willamette's only First Team selection. Jenae Arnold (Sr., M, Poulsbo, WA/North Kitsap HS) and Annie Strom (Sr., D, Mount Vernon, WA/Mount Vernon HS) were named to the Second Team and Kristen Barclay (Sr., GK, Kenmore, WA/Cedar Park Christian School) was chosen for Honorable Mention.

A total of 29 players from the nine NWC teams received All-NWC honors, including 12 on the First Team and 12 on the second team. The Honorable Mention list included five players.

Meghan Michels, a first-year midfielder for Pacific Lutheran University, was named NWC Offensive Player of the Year and NWC Freshman of the Year. Senior defender Brianna Hunting from PLU was chosen NWC Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Seth Spidahl of Pacific Lutheran was voted NWC Coach of the Year.

Willamette record this fall was 11-7-2, including 10-4-2 in the NWC (3rd place, 32 points). The Bearcats went 5-2-2 in overtime games -- all against NWC competition. Three of WU's overall losses were to NCAA Division III Tournament teams PLU (twice) and Trinity University (Texas). Key results for Willamette were a pair of 1-0 overtime wins at Whitworth University (Oct. 12) and Whitman College (Oct. 13), a 2-1 overtime win at Sparks Field against Lewis & Clark College (Oct. 2), and a pair of ties against traditional NWC power University of Puget Sound (Sept. 29 and Oct. 27).

The Bearcats scored 27 goals in 20 games and allowed just 19 goals. Willamette's goalkeepers and defenders combined for a 0.90 team goals against average and eight shutouts. WU has recorded 27 shutouts in 60 games since the start of the 2017 season.

First Team All-Northwest Conference

Shanna Keil (Sr., F) was selected First Team All-NWC for the second time in as many years. In addition, she was chosen Second Team All-NWC in 2017. She led the Bearcats with seven goals and three assists this season for 17 total points. She was fifth in the NWC in goals, total points and shots on target (22). She was second on the Willamette roster with 39 total shots. She scored two game-winning goals, including the only goal in a 1-0 overtime win against George Fox University on Oct. 20.

During her Willamette career, Keil played in 79 games of 80 games and received 64 starts. She scored 23 career goals to go along with 15 assists for 61 total points. She also achieved 178 total shots with 97 shots on goal. She registered seven career game-winning goals.

In her final three years with the Bearcats, Keil scored at least 14 points each season. She earned six goals and five assists for 17 points in 2017, followed by seven goals and six assists for 20 points in 2018, before producing 17 points in 2019.

Second Team All-Northwest Conference

Jenae Arnold (Sr., M) was named Second Team All-NWC for the second year in a row. She played primarily as a defensive midfielder this season, but also contributed to the offensive build-up and the attack. She was a key player in securing the midfield and allowing the Bearcats to stay in control.

She was strong at stealing the ball and recording interceptions on defense, and was equally skilled at helping the Bearcats maintain possession. She played in 16 games with 13 starts.

Arnold's career totals include 75 games played and 56 starts. She has taken 41 total shots and placed 17 shots on goal. She has scored two goals and five assists as a Bearcat. Both of her goals were game-winning goals a year ago, including a penalty kick with 18 seconds left in the second overtime for a 1-0 victory at Lewis & Clark College on Sept. 15, 2018.

Annie Strom (Sr., D) received Second Team All-NWC honors this year for the first time. She started all 20 games this fall and was a leader of Willamette's defense.

Throughout her Willamette career, Strom was skilled as a marking defender, organized teammates when the opponents had the ball, and could overlap on the wing to contribute on offense. She was extremely consistent and reliable in her efforts.

At Willamette for four seasons, Strom accumulated 72 games played and 65 starts. Along the way, she contributed five assists, including three assists in 2019. She took 21 total shots and placed 13 of her shots (61.9%) on target. She was instrumental in helping the Bearcats shut out 27 opponents during the past three years.

Honorable Mention All-Northwest Conference

Kristen Barclay (Sr., GK) earned Honorable Mention All-NWC recognition for the first time. She was chosen Second Team All-NWC in 2018. This year, she played in all 20 games for a total of 1,693 minutes in goal. She provided WU with 84 saves on her way to a 0.90 goals against average and a 9-7-2 record. She registered five complete-game shutouts and three shared shutouts.

The career stats for Barclay include 74 games played, 64 starts and 6,010 minutes. She concluded her career with an overall 0.85 goals against average, a 38-18-11 record, 248 saves, and a .825 save percentage. She earned 19 solo shutouts and 13 combined shutouts during her career with the Bearcats.

Each year, she finished the season with a goals against average at or below 0.90 and with a save percentage above .800. She was credited with a career-high 12 wins in 2018 after recording 11 wins in 2017.