Feb. 8, 2006

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Fifteen All-Conference honorees including the 2005 ACC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, secured spots on the 2005 All-Atlantic Coast Conference Academic Women's Soccer Team as announced Wednesday by Commissioner John D. Swofford. ACC champion North Carolina joined Boston College, Clemson and Wake Forest with the most honorees at five apiece.

UNC's honorees included seniors Lindsay Tarpley, Lori Chalupny and Kendall Fletcher, junior Heather O'Reilly and freshman Yael Averbuch.

All 11 schools in the league competing in women's soccer are represented on the inaugural team.

To be eligible for consideration, a student-athlete must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during her academic career.

The 2005 ACC Champion North Carolina Tar Heels, Boston College Eagles, Clemson Tigers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons led all schools with five honorees each on this season's academic team. Duke and Virginia Tech each had four selections, while NC State, Miami, Maryland and College Cup semifinalist Florida State each placed three student-athletes on the squad. Virginia rounded out the team with a pair of honorees.

Players earning All-Conference honors this past fall were Clemson midfielder Allison Graham, Duke defender Carolyn Ford and forward Christie McDonald, Florida State defender Katrin Schmidt and midfielder Viola Odebrecht, Maryland goalkeeper Nikki Resnick and forward Kimmy Francis, North Carolina midfielders Yael Averbuch, Lindsay Tarpley and Lori Chalupny, forward Heather O'Reilly and defender Kendall Fletcher, Virginia defender Becky Sauerbrunn and Wake Forest forward Sarah Kozey and midfielder Melanie Schneider.

The Tar Heels' Heather O'Reilly, the recipient of the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, led the league in scoring with 47 points on 18 goals and 11 assists this past season. The 18 goals by the junior forward was a season-high eclipsing her previous mark of 16 set as a freshman in 2003. O'Reilly was a two-time Player of the Week in 2005 as well as being named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team.

Duke's Carolyn Ford was tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2005. Ford led a defense that led the conference in goals allowed with 13 and second in goals against average at 0.60. The Blue Devils tied the school record for goals allowed, while setting the record for GAA - a pair of marks set in Duke's inaugural season in 1988. A two-time Player of the Week in 2005, Ford also received second team Academic All-District team honors by CoSIDA and first team Scholar All-South Region by the NSCAA.

In addition, Duke's Rachel Rose-Cohen and North Carolina's Lindsay Tarpley were named third team Academic All-Americans by CoSIDA, while Virginia Tech's Molly McCall and the Blue Devils' Carmen Bognanno were selected to the 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-District III team. Clemson's Allison Graham, Britten Meyer and Lydia Vandenbergh rounded out the national recognition earning NSCAA Scholar All-South Region accolades.