Olin senior plays winning role on championship soccer team

Salem, Va., Dec. 5, 2016 – The 2016 NCAA Division III National Champion Washington University in St. Louis women’s soccer team had three student-athletes named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III All-America Team, as announced by the Association.

Senior goalkeeper Lizzy Crist and sophomore midfielder Maggie Crist picked up first-team honors, while senior forward Katie Chandler was a third-team selection. The Crist sisters earned the NSCAA honor for the first time, while Chandler picks up the accolade for the second-straight year after earning first-team accolades in 2015.

This marks the first time in school history WashU has had three NSCAA All-America honorees in the same season.

Katie Chandler is an Olin senior from Fall City, WA majoring in marketing with a minor in psychology. She started all 24 games in 2016 and recorded a team-high 12 goals and four assists for 28 points. She also led the UAA in game-winning goals with seven, including a pair of goals in a 2-1 victory over No. 23 Brandeis University in the NCAA Semifinal. For her efforts, Chandler was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Offensive Player.

Chandler had a stretch late in the season where she scored four-straight game-winning goals, including wins at No. 18 Carnegie Mellon University on Oct. 28 and against No. 8 Chicago on Nov. 5. She was named UAA Offensive Athlete of the Week four times this season.

A three-time all-UAA and all-Central Region selection, Chandler concludes her career ranked second in school history in game-winning goals (16) and seventh in goals (37) and points (87).

“As a returning All-American goal scorer, Katie rose up in 2016 to lead our team, said Conlon. “Her ability to score game-winning goals and create dangerous opportunities all October and in the post-season takes a special person.”

Lizzy Crist started 23 games in goal and recorded a 19-1-2 mark with a single-season school record 0.29 goals against average. She also set the single-season school record with 13 shutouts, and tied the win total. Crist led the UAA and ranked fifth in NCAA Division III in goals allowed (6) and goals against average.

A first-team all-UAA and and all-Central Region selection, Crist earned UAA Defensive Athlete of the Week honors four times this season. She was named the NCAA Championship Most Outstanding Defensive Player for the second-consecutive season after posting a 2-0 mark with a 0.90 GAA at the Final Four.

Crist, a three-time all-UAA and all-Central Region selection selection, concludes her career as the WashU all-time leader in shutouts (31) and is also second in wins (48) and fourth in saves (182).

“Lizzy is an amazing leader and great goal keeper,” said WashU head coach Jim Conlon. “She might not make many saves due to our style of play, but she makes the ones we ask of her.  We love having her behind our players.”

Maggie Crist started 22 games this season and controlled the midfield for the Bears. She scored one goal in 2016 and also recorded 29 shots.

A first-team all-UAA and all-Central Region selection, Crist was also part of the WashU defense which set a single-season school record with 18 shutouts and a 0.32 goals against average. The Bears defensive unit also allowed eight goals on the season, tied for the lowest mark in school history.

“Maggie changes the way we play. She is all over the field and makes us better in so many ways. Maggie is the impact player we need in the middle of the park,” said Conlon. “We ask our team to be selfless like a family. To have two sisters be All-Americans in their final year of playing together is a dream come true.”

WashU won the 2016 NCAA Division III National Championship after posting a 5-4 shootout victory over Messiah College Dec. 3 in Salem, Va. The Bears recorded a 19-2-3 overall record, the second most wins in school history, and won the UAA championship for the fourth time in the last five years.

All three WashU student-athletes will be recognized at the annual NSCAA All-America Luncheon, to be held Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in conjunction with the 2017 NSCAA Convention.

Photos at NCAA Finals Women’s D3 SoccerWashington University vs Messiah Roanoke College, Salem, VAPhoto by Roger Mastroianni — at Donald J. Kerr Stadium.

This post was originally published on WashU Bear Sports.