Dec. 11, 2003

VILLANOVA, PA. - On Wednesday, Dec. 11th, the NSCAA released its 2003 Division I All-Region teams. Four Villanova women's soccer players were named to NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic Region teams, with junior defender Michelle Biehl earning first team honors, sophomore defender Laura Koch garnering second team accolades, and senior goalkeeper Chrissy Dolan and junior forward Laura Johnson receiving third team status.

The Wildcats won the program's first-ever Big East Championship in 2003 and also advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in the program's history. In addition, Villanova set a new school record for wins in a season with 15 as the `Cats ended the season ranked 15th in the nation with a 15-5-5 record.

These four Wildcats were a big part of Villanova's storybook season in 2003. Biehl and Koch anchored one of the nation's top defenses this season. The Wildcat defense finished fourth in the nation in goals against average (0.458 goal per game) and seventh in the nation in shutout percentage (0.64) as the `Cats notched 16 shutouts in 25 games.

In the net, Dolan was one of conference's and the nation's most dominant goalkeepers yet again in 2003. The senior set a new single season record for shutouts with 16 and also set a new career mark with 30.5 shutouts. Dolan allowed just 0.46 goals a game, good enough for tops in the Big East.

On offense for the `Cats, Johnson was one of the team's top playmakers. She scored four goals and dished out nine assists this season for 17 points.