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Craft, Gjini and Lower Honored by SoccerBuzz
January 06, 2005 | Women's Soccer
Jan. 6, 2005
NEW YORK, NY - Three more individuals have earned postseason honors for the University of Louisville women's soccer team, as sophomore forward Jamie Craft, junior defender Gina Lower and freshman midfielder Monique Gjini have been named to the 2004 SoccerBuzz Great Lakes All Region teams.
"It is nice to see Gina, Jamie and Monique getting so much attention regionally," remarked Head Coach Karen Ferguson.
"They have all been instrumental in our development as a program, and the great thing about it is they will all be returning for 2005 as we head in to the BIG EAST Conference," Ferguson added.
The honors add to the growing list for both student-athletes.
Craft, a forward from Owings, Maryland was one of 13 selected to the first team, and one of just four underclassmen on the squad. She was previously the 2003 C-USA Freshman of the Year, Third-Team All C-USA All-Freshman Team and All-Region Freshman Team. She was also 2004 Preseason and postseason First Team All C-USA in addition to second team All-Region honors from NSCAA.
Craft scored eight goals as a freshman and added 14 in 2004, tied for the third best single season in school history. Her 30 points in '04 is fifth-best all-time and 50 career points in just two years is already the fifth-highest total in Cardinal history. Craft lead C-USA with five game-winning goals in 2004.
Lower earned third-team honors and was previously an All-Freshman team selection in 2001 and Third Team All C-USA in 2002 before sitting out 2003 as a medical redshirt. Lower was named 2004 First Team All-Conference USA.
The junior from Hamilton, Ohio anchored a Cardinal defense that lowered it goals against average to a school record 0.86 and logged a record 11 shutouts.
Gjini, a midfielder from Edmonton, Alberta is a member of the 15-player All-Freshman team. She made the C-USA All-Freshman team and lead all C-USA freshman with seven goals. Her five assists tie her for the fifth-highest single-season total in school history.
The 2004 Cardinals posted a school record 12 wins(12-5-3), advancing to the semifinals of the C-USA Tournament in Saint Louis in its last season in Conference USA. Beginning this fall the Cardinals will begin play in the BIG EAST.
"We're extremely excited about competing in one of the top conferences in the country and I feel that with the leadership of these three women specifically, the future of Cardinal soccer is extremely bright. We're certainly heading in the right direction at a very crucial time for our program," added Ferguson.
