May 2, 2010
DENVER, Colo. -
Junior goalkeeper Alyssa Cranska was selected as the lone UC Davis representative to the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Championship all-tournament squad, it was announced after Sunday's conference title game between No. 15 Stanford and No. 18 Denver. The Cardinal pulled off an 11-10 overtime win to claim their sixth MPSF banner.
Stanford's Leigh Lucas earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors. The Cardinal had five players on the all-tournament team, while runner-up Denver claimed three representatives. California sent two to the squad, with UC Davis, Oregon, Saint Mary's and Fresno State having one nod each.
Cranska was a key figure in the Aggies' 13-11 comeback win over Oregon in Thursday's quarterfinal round. After taking the place of fellow junior Kjersten Nordmeyer midway in the second period, she posted four saves and allowed only two goals -- both with UC Davis playing short-handed due to a yellow card -- in 17 minutes of net time. Two of her stops came in a key standoff with six minutes remaining, helping the Aggies protect their recovery from a 10-7 deficit.
The junior from Arnold, Md. followed up her quarterfinal peformance with a season-best 13 saves against top-seeded Denver in the MPSF semifinal on Friday. Cranska also posted a ground ball and caused turnover against the Pioneers.
The Aggies enjoyed one of their best seasons in program history, finishing with an 11-6 record and tie for third place in both the conference regular-season standings and the conference tournament. The total of 10 wins over Division I opponents (UC Davis beat Division II Regis on April 10) also stands as a program record.
2010 MPSF Championship All-Tournament Team
Leigh Lucas, Stanford (Most Valuable Player)
Leslie Foard, Stanford
Lauren Schmidt, Stanford
Annie Read, Stanford
Ali Flury, Denver
Lexi Sanders, Denver
Ashley Harman, Denver
Allie Shropshire, California
Tara Arolla, California
Alyssa Cranska, UC Davis
Alex Breiner, Oregon
Abbie Coleman, Saint Mary's
Diana Aguilar, Fresno State