2023 NAIA All-America Teams
Kansas City, Mo. – Four members of the Aquinas women's soccer team were named to the 2023 NAIA Women's Soccer All-America Team, announced on Monday afternoon (Dec. 11) by the national office. Forward Sydney Shenk, goalkeeper Kayla Shuk, and defender Avery Tack were all voted as Second Team All-Americans, while Laia Cunill earned Third Team All-America honors.
This marks the fourth consecutive season that Aquinas has posted multiple NAIA All-Americans. The program also received four NAIA All-Americans in 2022 and in the spring 2021 season, while having a trio of players earn the distinction in the fall 2021 campaign.
It continues a recent stretch of postseason honors for the four-time WHAC regular season champion Saints. On Nov. 29, Cunill, Shenk, and Sandra Segovia were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team and advanced to the All-America ballot. Last Thursday (Dec. 7), it was announced that Shenk and Tack were honored on the United Soccer Coaches All-America First Team. The Saints also had six players earn NAIA Scholar-Athlete status, including Cunill and Shenk from this group.
Shenk improves to an NAIA Second Team All-American after receiving Honorable Mention status last year. This is the first NAIA All-America honor for Shuk, Tack, and Cunill. Naturally, all four of these players were named to the All-WHAC First Team.
The WHAC Offensive Player of the Year, Shenk posted team-highs of 31 points and 11 goals, both of which were the best figures in the conference. She trailed just one player in the league – Cunill – with nine assists. Shenk tallied a goal or assist in 11 games for the Saints, including all three in the NAIA Tournament; she notched an assist in all three games and tallied AQ's opening goal in the win over #8 John Brown. She has put together a stellar career, becoming just the third Saint to reach 100 career points. Shenk is second all-time in Aquinas history in both points (117) and goals scored (45).
Shuk also had a tremendous year, allowing just eight goals in 21 games played for a microscopic 0.39 goals against average. All of those numbers led the WHAC, as did her 16 victories and 14 shutouts. Her .855 save percentage was second-best in the conference. Starting in all 21 games in which she appeared, Shuk also led the entire NAIA with her 0.39 goals against average and was second in the nation in shutouts. She was the last line of defense for the Saints, as AQ did not allow a goal for 1,478 minutes of game time from Sept. 9 to Nov. 4. Only once all season did the team allow more than one goal; in the team's 3-2 loss to #1 William Carey (the national runner-up) in the national quarterfinals.
Tack earned WHAC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a tremendous enforcer in the AQ backline. She anchored the top defense in the country, as Aquinas' eight goals allowed were tied for the fewest of any team in the country. The Saints' 17 shutouts and 0.36 goals against average were both the best figure in the NAIA, aided in part by the 15-game scoreless streak that spanned nearly two full months. Aquinas outscored its WHAC opponents by a stunning 36-0 margin in 2023. Tack was the lone Saint to start in all 22 games and played a team-high 1,903 minutes, adding three goals and two assists to her defensive-oriented statline.
Cunill was the WHAC leader with 11 assists and she ranked fourth in the league in points (25) and shots (62). Her seven goals were good for 10th-best in the conference. She tied for 17th in the country with 11 assists, dishing out an assists in eight different games. Cunill recorded a goal or assist in 13 games, including a two-goal effort in a 3-1 win at #24 Campbellsville in early-September. She scored a pair of game-winning goals during the year and handed out a pair of assists in three outings. Cunill joined Tack as one of six Saints to play in all 22 games during the 2023 campaign. She finished with 1,270 minutes played, eighth-most on the team.
AQ finished the tremendous season with a 17-1-4 overall record and earned a third consecutive trip to the NAIA National Tournament Final Site. It is the second year in a row the Saints competed in the national quarterfinals as one of the final eight teams remaining in the tournament.
