University of North Carolina Athletics
Taylor Otto is a Top Drawer Soccer freshman All-America first-team honoree.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Otto & Russo Named To TDS Freshman All-America Team
December 13, 2017 | Women's Soccer
Otto earns first-team freshman All-America honors
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - A pair of standout Tar Heel freshman players from the University of North Carolina's 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference women's soccer championship team were named Wednesday to the Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI Teams for the recently completed season.
Redshirt freshman defender Taylor Otto of Apex, N.C. was named to the first-team freshman Best XI while freshman forward Alessia Russo was tapped for the second-team squad.
Both players had outstanding seasons for Coach Anson Dorrance's team in 2017 as the Tar Heels finished 17-3-2 and won their first ACC tournament championship since 2009.
Otto started 19 of 22 games for the Tar Heels, playing a center back position. She was second on the team amongst field players in minutes played with 1,932 minutes. She had 10 points on the season, scoring four goals and adding two assists. She had a hat trick in UNC's 4-2 early season win at South Florida, the first three-goal game by a Tar Heel player in four seasons.
Russo was the co-Freshman of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as the most valuable player of the 2017 ACC Tournament. She was UNC's leading goal scorer this season with nine and the Tar Heels' third-leading point producer with 20. She led Carolina in game-winning goals as a freshman as the Kent, England newcomer recorded six of those as well as one game-tying goal. She started 18 games at forward for the Tar Heels.
Redshirt freshman defender Taylor Otto of Apex, N.C. was named to the first-team freshman Best XI while freshman forward Alessia Russo was tapped for the second-team squad.
Both players had outstanding seasons for Coach Anson Dorrance's team in 2017 as the Tar Heels finished 17-3-2 and won their first ACC tournament championship since 2009.
Otto started 19 of 22 games for the Tar Heels, playing a center back position. She was second on the team amongst field players in minutes played with 1,932 minutes. She had 10 points on the season, scoring four goals and adding two assists. She had a hat trick in UNC's 4-2 early season win at South Florida, the first three-goal game by a Tar Heel player in four seasons.
Russo was the co-Freshman of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference as well as the most valuable player of the 2017 ACC Tournament. She was UNC's leading goal scorer this season with nine and the Tar Heels' third-leading point producer with 20. She led Carolina in game-winning goals as a freshman as the Kent, England newcomer recorded six of those as well as one game-tying goal. She started 18 games at forward for the Tar Heels.
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