INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. | Great Lakes Valley Conference – McKendree University women's soccer tallied six All-GLVC selections with one major award winner as freshman midfielder
Maggie Gleckler earned the league's Freshman of the Year honors, as announced by the conference office on Thursday night. Gleckler was the lone freshman all-league selection, earning third team honors and the FOTY award while senior forward
Anna Stiffler and graduate defender
Morgan Bova were tabbed first-team selections. The second-seeded Bearcats take on three-seed Drury on Friday at noon in East Peoria for the GLVC Championship semifinal round.
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR | Maggie Gleckler, Fr., MF
Gleckler, a Rochester, Illinois-native, made an immediate impact for the Bearcats this fall as she started every game while amassing 10 points with 2 goals and six assists (.353 per game). The true freshman totaled 1325 minutes over the season so far with her first collegiate goal and assist coming against Glecker, on the campaign, has fired 25 shots with 13 on-frame (.520 SOG%). The midfielder was the sole freshman honoree on the All-GLVC squads, collecting a third team spot with her major award in Freshman of the Year. She is the program's second freshman of the year after Stiffler won it in the spring of 2021 as well as the program's seventh major-award winner.
FIRST TEAM | Anna Stiffler, Sr., F | Morgan Bova, Gr., D
Stiffler becomes a four-time all-league selection and three-time first team honoree with her 2023 All-GLVC first team selection, collecting another historic season in her time as a Bearcat. The O'Fallon, Missouri-native totals 25 points on the season, scoring double-digit goals for the second consecutive season while totaling over 20 points for the third consecutive season. During the 2023 campaign, the forward also made her mark in the McKendree history as she broke the Bearcats' Division II career scoring record, firing two against Quincy on October 20 to total 39 (at the time), moving past Sydnee Carroll's total of 38. Stiffler holds a career total of 41 after two more at Illinois Springfield the following game on October 22.
In the GLVC, Stiffler leads the conference in goals (11/.611pg), game-winning goals (7/.389pg), and shots on (36/2.00pg), while she ranks second in points (25/1.39pg). Stiffler is also tied for the DII lead in game-winners, t-21st in shots on goal per game, t-26th in total goals, t-36th in goals per game, t-46th in total points, and 49th in points per game.
Bova becomes a three-time All-GLVC first team honoree and four-time All-GLVC selection with her 2023 first team honors, leading a deadly McKendree back line again this fall. The graduate defender has totaled two assists this year for two points while starting all 18 games for 1576 minutes, so far. Bova dished-out her assists in the season-opener against Winona State on September 1 and then versus UMSL on September 24. The Troy, Missouri-native has made her presence known throughout the league in all seasons for the Bearcats as she was named to a third straight first team in the GLVC. Bova, as a constant presence in the McKendree lineup, has started all 57 games she has played between 2021-23 while starting 84 of 87 total contests she has played in her career.
SECOND & THIRD TEAM
McKendree tallied four players on the GLVC's second and third teams with all four being first-time selections to the all-league honors. Senior midfielder
Katie Spotanski nabbed her first all-conference honor after firing six goals, two game winners and dishing out three assists so far this fall. Spotanski fired her first goal of the campaign in the road draw at Maryville while scoring five goals in the last six games with four coming during the last five regular season contests. The St. Peters, Missouri-native have played in 18 games with nine starts, including seven straight starts. Voss
On the third team, junior forward
Lena Higgins, freshman midfielder and Freshman of the Year
Maggie Gleckler, and junior defender
Maria Voss each added their first all-league selections. Higgins owns three scores, seven assists, and one game-winner this fall while starting all 18 contests, totaling over 1000 minutes. Voss, another constant defensive presence for McKendree this fall, has started all 18 games in the Bearcats' commanding back line. The junior defender sent out four assists including in three straight games against Truman, Upper Iowa, and at Quincy. Voss totals nearly 1600 minutes for McKendree this season.
ALL-GLVC COMPLETE RESULTS
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lexi Gentry, MF, Sr., Maryville
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrea Camargo, D, Sr., Drury
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Kaitlin Knetzke, Sr., Drury
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Maggie Gleckler, MF, McKendree
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lori Lawson, Maryville
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Ines Villanueva Casal, DU
Sierra Cenek, UIS
Zy'Aire Parker, UINDY
Elisa Aguilar, LEWIS
Maddie Dickerman, MU
Destiny Johnson, MCK
Andersyn Foster, S&T
Emily Bloomfield, UMSL
Lisa Albarran, QU
Halle Mallum, RU
Abby Youngblood, SBU
Casey Hansen, TSU
Haylie Hutchinson, UIU
Rylie May, WJC
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
Truman State
UP NEXT | GLVC CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT - Semifinals
No.2-seed McKendree will face third-seeded Drury in the #GLVCwsoc semifinals on November 10 at Corwin Clatt Stadium in Peoria, Illinois. McKendree and Drury will start the Friday semifinals with a 12:00PM kick-off. The Bearcats defeated the Panthers to conclude the regular season, 2-1, at Leemon Field on October 29.
The 2023 GLVC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament will be held Nov. 10 and 12 at Corwin Clatt Stadium in East Peoria, Ill., after the quarterfinals on Nov. 5 are hosted by the top-four seeds. This is the first year the event will be hosted at this venue and a return to a neutral site for both the men's and women's tournaments since the spring of 2021.
Tournament information and bracket can be found via the GLVC's
Championship Central.
