Pioneers Take Home Several All-WIAC Honors Thursday

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Four University of Wisconsin-Platteville women's soccer players were named to the 2024 All-WIAC Team it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Receiving the honors were seniors Arianna Lombardi and Lydia Smith and sophomores Jess Morawski and Madison Way, with Way also earning a share of the Kwik Trip Goalkeeper of the Year award. Sophomore Lexi Ward picked up WIAC Honorable Mention, while senior Samantha Yexley was named to the All-Sportsmanship Team.

Lombardi paced the conference in several offensive categories to earn All-WIAC honors for the second straight season. The senior scored 11 goals and added a conference-high 13 assists to finish with 35 total points, three more than second-place teammate Morawski and 10 more than the player in third. The 13 assists broke the UW-Platteville single-season mark, surpassing Smith's record of 12 set in 2022. Lombardi led the WIAC with 94 shots and 51 shots on goal and netted a conference-leading five game-winning goals. Two of those game-winners came in the final two regular season contests to help the Pioneers secure the second seed in the WIAC Tournament. Across 19 starts, the Bourbonnais, Illinois native recorded at least one goal or one assist 15 times, highlighted by a two-goal, one assist performance in a September 11 win over Concordia Wisconsin.

Smith collected All-WIAC recognition for the third consecutive year after tallying three goals and six assists across 18 games. The senior tied for third on the team in points with 12, and her 33 shots ranked fourth. The Troy, Illinois native put together a season-high two assists in the Pioneers 4-0 win over UW-Stout on September 19.

Morawski scored a conference-high 13 goals in her sophomore season to emerge as one of the top scoring threats in the WIAC. The Tinley Park, Illinois native was second in the conference in points with 32, finishing just behind Lombardi. Morawski scored eight goals in the Pioneers first six games, including a hat trick in the season opener against Beloit. Her six assists on the year tied Smith for second-most on the team and her 71 shots and 44 shots on goal were both third in the WIAC.

After earning WIAC Honorable Mention honors as a freshman, Way put forth an even better second season and was named one of three Kwik Trip Goalkeepers of the Year. The sophomore allowed a conference-low 0.867 goals per game and tied for the WIAC lead in shutouts with six all the while posting a save percentage of .840, second-best in the conference. The Blaine, Minnesota native totaled 84 saves in the regular season, including a career-high 16 against UC Santa Cruz on September 28.

Ward started all 19 games on the Pioneers back line and was a big part of the defense that held opponents to less than one goal scored per game. The sophomore scored one goal on the season, which came in a 2-2 draw at UW-Eau Claire on October 12.

Yexley joined Ward on the UW-Platteville defense and started 13 of 17 games played. The senior tallied her first career assist early in the season in a 4-0 win over St. Scholastica on September 6.

The Pioneers host UW-Eau Claire in the WIAC Tournament Semifinals later tonight at 7 p.m. The winner advances to Saturday's conference championship game.