ATLANTA, Ga. – After a successful season for the Central Arkansas women's soccer team, the Atlantic Sun and the voting coaches have rewarded the team with several well-deserved honors. In addition to five players being named to All-ASUN teams, the Bears also received one superlative, with Kelly Van Gundy being recognized as the best at her position.
 
"I'm very happy and proud for these ladies. These individual awards are well deserved. They are all great teammates, very hard workers, and have performed at a high level all season," Head coach Jeremy Bishop said of the group. "I know the entire team will take pride in these awards as well, because there can be no individual awards without team success, and everyone played a part in that this season."
 
Van Gundy was named the ASUN's Midfielder of the Year and claimed a spot on the First Team All-ASUN after one of the best individual seasons by a Bear since joining the league. She led the team with seven goals and four assists, tallying 19 points on the season. But her real work came in the conference schedule, where she ranked among the best of the best in the league in almost every offensive category.
 
In 11 ASUN matches, she led the entire conference in game-winning goals (4) and shots on goal (19). She ranked second in total shots (38) goals (5), assists (4) and points (14). She was the only player to finish in the top-five in both goals and assists, and trailed the conference point leader by one. The junior had four games in which she was responsible for multiple goals, scoring twice against North Florida, had a goal and an assist against both Kennesaw State and Eastern Kentucky, and had two assists in the win over Florida Gulf Coast.
 
Three Bears were named to the Second Team All-ASUN, those being Sydney Brough, Trace Pavatt and Gabby Thies. Brough earned her spot after finishing the season tied for second on the team with four goals and one assist, totaling nine points. She was one of three Bears to score nine points on the year, but had the distinction of scoring all of hers against league opponents. She had a season-best five points against Kennesaw State, scoring twice and adding an assist, which was the highest scoring game of any ASUN player this season.
 
The Canadian midfielder also finished fourth in the conference in goals scored, and fifth in total points. She also surpassed the 40-point mark this season, becoming the tenth player in program history to reach 17 career goals. She was named the ASUN Player of the Week once this season, after her domination against Kennesaw State.
 
Pavatt was named to the second team as a forward, after providing a terror of a top option for the league's second-highest scoring offense this season. She was one of two Bears to log multiple goals and multiple assists in 2023, combining three scores with three assists. The sophomore scored all three of her goals and had one of her assists in conference, blending a mesmerizing speed with terrific one-on-one skills to log goals against FGCU, Austin Peay and Eastern Kentucky. She ranked fifth in the conference in goals during league play and finished ninth in points.
 
Thies also locked in a second team spot after being a main cog in the ASUN's second-best defense. Her 1,657 minutes led all Bears, and she helped lead a defense that held all 11 conference opponents to one or fewer goals, giving up just six across 11 matches. The Fort Worth native also contributed a goal and three assists on the year, including a three-point effort against Kennesaw State, scoring her lone goal and adding an assist against the Owls.
 
The final award given to the Bears went to Megan Moudy, one of two unanimous additions to the ASUN's All-Freshman Team. Playing 1,465 minutes fresh out of high school, Moudy started all 19 games and made an immediate impact in Purple and Gray. She finished tied for second on the team in goals and total points, logging four scores and an assist for nine points.
 
Her bright future was immediately evident, as the Cabot native was responsible for both goals in a 2-2 tie against Arkansas State. She would go on to score against ORU, Kennesaw State and Bellarmine.
 
Central Arkansas finished as the No. 2 seed in the ASUN, dropping only one of the 11 matches en route to the team's first one-loss conference season since 2018. With the second seed, the Bears earned a double-bye to the semifinal round of the ASUN Championship, marking the third-straight season that the Bears have advanced to the final four teams. Central Arkansas will play on November 2^nd, awaiting the first two rounds of the tournament for an opponent.