Kansas City, Mo. - Seven members of the Central Methodist Women's Soccer team were named to Heart All-Conference teams, which were announced by the conference office this past Tuesday.
Mariana Barreto and Paula Castro led the charge for Central, as the duo were both named to the first team. Delia Letelier, Kaede Yamaguchi, and Kirstine Lykke earned second team honors.
Minori Saze and Madison Priebe rounded out the all-conference selections for the Eagles, as the duo were named to the third team.
In her second year as an Eagle, Barreto recorded 14 goals in the regular season, with five being game winners. The forward finished second in the Heart in goals scored, just two behind her teammate, Kirstine Lykke who had 16 on the campaign. In a span of six games, Barreto notched 13 goals, scoring a hat-trick in three of those matches. Additionally, she was named the Heart Offensive Player of the Week two times during the 2024 season.
Castro joined Barreto as a first team selection. The native of Madrid, Spain started 16 out of the 17 matches, finishing the season with two goals. She led the Heart of America with seven assists, including a pair of assists against Graceland on Sept. 23
Letelier was the anchor of the backline for the Eagles all season long. The sophomore started all but one game on the season, leading her team to eight shutouts on the year. With Letelier leading the defense, CMU surrendered two or more goals just twice in 2024.
Yamaguchi finishes her career as a two-time Heart Third Team All-Conference selection. The native of Futtsu, Japan has started every single game for the Eagles since she first transferred in last year. This season she started all 17 regular season games and controlled the midfield for her side. The senior finished the season with three assists and was clinical in providing a defensive presence for the backline while also balancing out a strong CMU attack.
Lykke had an outstanding season for the Eagles, leading the conference in goals scored (16) and points (34). Six of her goals on the season proved to be game winners. Lykke also dished out two assists and finished the regular season with a pair of hat tricks. Additionally, she was named the Heart Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 9.
Saze, a first year Eagle, played in all 17 regular season games with 15 starts. She finished the regular season with two goals and three assists. Saze proved to be an instrumental part of the Eagles midfield, providing a much needed balance in the middle of the pitch.
Priebe, also in her first season as an Eagle, started all 17 games. The native of Winnipeg, Canada recorded eight clean sheets and surrendered just 10 goals during regular season action.
The Eagles will host No. 5 MidAmerica Nazarene University Tuesday, Nov. 12 at Davis Field for the Heart Tournament Championship game. Central will look to claim its fifth conference tournament title in the last six seasons with a win over the Pioneers.
To view the conference release on this year's Heart Women's Soccer All-Conference teams, please click here.
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