ROCK HILL — Newberry College senior forward Alyssa Ortega and freshman midfielder Courtney Velazquez were named to the South Atlantic Conference Women’s Soccer All-Conference first team. In addition to Ortega and Velazquez was Daphne Heyaime, who received an honorable mention pick.
The Wolves (7-11) completed the regular season with a 3-7 mark in SAC play to finish in eighth place. Newberry traveled to top seeded Carson-Newman on Tuesday night hoping to further their 2017 season, but were dropped by the Eagles’ 2-0.
Ortega, who is from Venice, Calif. netted 11 goals to rank second in the SAC in goals. Through 16 starts for the Wolves, Ortega racked up a conference leading 107 shots and 27 points. She is tied for fourth in the conference in assists with five. She recorded her third career hat trick on senior day against Mars Hill.
She recorded three game-winning goals on the season. Ortega’s proficient scoring saw her shoot a little over half of her shots on frame. She ended the season scoring in seven contest.
Velazquez came to Newberry from El Cajon, Calif. and became an immediate impact on the Wolves team. She scored her lone goal of the season in the non conference match up against Albany State. Velazquez picked up two assists on the season, and took 22 shots.
Heyaime, a 5-6 midfielder from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic emerged as an effective scorer towards the end of conference play. She recorded four goals on the season, along with one assists. Heyaime currently holds the SAC Astro Turf Player of the Week title after scoring half of Newberry’s goals last week. With the goal in the 2-0 victory against Lenoir-Rhyne, she secured the Wolves final spot in the SAC Women’s Soccer Championship.