Four Norse Named to All-Conference Team
Nov. 9, 2007
Four members of the Luther women's soccer team have been named to the 2007 Iowa Conference all-conference team. Junior forward Emily Ironside ( Dubuque, Iowa/Senior) was a first team selection, while sophomores Jill Nerka (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Simley), Ashley Meirick (Pella, Iowa) and Lisa Torgerson (New Hope, Minn./Robbinsdale-Armstrong) were second team honorees.
Ironside joins an elite group of former Luther players as a three-time all-conference performer. She was a second-team honoree in 2005 and is a repeat first-team selection this season. She finished the 2007 campaign second on the team in total points with 23. She scored nine goals and added five assists, increasing her career numbers in these categories to 29 goals and 20 assists, for a total of 78 points. Her 29 goals rank eighth on Luther's all-time list.
This is the first time Nerka, Meirick and Torgerson have been named all-conference. Nerka started 21 matches at defender and produced one assist. Torgerson and Meirick, both midfielders, started 21 and 18 matches respectfully, Meirick missed the final three matches of the season due to an injury. Torgerson finished third on the squad in total points with 19, scoring seven goals and adding five assists. Meirick was next with 12 points thanks to five goals and two assists.
Senior defender Kalli Ledel (Shakopee, Minn.) and freshman forward Kelsey Balk (Monument, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) were named honorable mention all-conference. Ledel concluded her career starting 57 of 75 career matches, producing five goals and three assists. Balk led the Norse is scoring with 26 points, scoring 10 goals and dishing out six assists.
Luther finished the IIAC regular season schedule with a record of 4-4 and was the fifth seed of the six-team Iowa Conference Tournament. The Norse concluded the year with an overall record of 8-12-1, following a semifinal loss to regular season champion Loras College.
