ACC Players of the Year and All-Conference teams selected for 2023 women’s soccer season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Florida State senior midfielder Onyi Echegini and Notre Dame senior defender Eva Gaetino have been voted the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, by the conference’s head coaches.

North Carolina sophomore Ally Sentnor was voted Midfielder of the Year, while Clemson senior Halle Mackiewicz was tabbed Goalkeeper of the Year. Florida State forward Jordynn Dudley was named Freshman of the Year and FSU’s Brian Pensky was voted Coach of the Year.

Echegini becomes the fifth Seminole to claim the Offensive Player of the Year award and first since Deyna Castellanos in 2019. The London, England, native leads the ACC with 11 goals, including seven against conference opponents. Named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, Echegini has recorded three multi-goal matches, headlined by five goals in her last four matches heading into the postseason.

Gaetino becomes the third player to win Defensive Player of the Year honors twice since the award’s inception in 2004 and just the second to win it in back-to-back seasons (Malia Berkely, Florida State 2019-20). The Dexter, Michigan, native anchored a backline that has posted five clean sheets this season, including two shutouts to end the regular season that helped clinch a bye in the 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship. On the offensive end, Gaetino has scored four goals and handed out three assists.

Sentnor becomes the first Tar Heel to earn Midfielder of the Year honors since the award was created in 2014. The Hanson, Massachusetts, native has tallied seven goals on the year, including four against ACC opponents, which is tied for sixth in the conference. Sentnor is also tied for the team lead with four assists and 18 points on the year. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the midfielder has scored two goals in her last two matches.

Mackiewicz becomes the first Tiger to earn Goalkeeper of the Year honors since the award was created in 2022. The Broomfield, Colorado, native currently leads the country with her program-record 13 clean sheets on the year, headlined by a league-best six shutouts against league opponents. Mackiewicz also leads the ACC with a .485 goals-against average and ranks second with an .855 save percentage. The senior has allowed just two goals in her last six starts, including making three stops in a first-round win over Wake Forest last Sunday.

Dudley is the fourth Seminole to earn Freshman of the Year honors and first since Yujie Zhao in 2018. The Milton, Georgia, native leads all ACC true freshmen and ranks fourth nationally among all freshmen with nine goals on the season. Seven of her nine goals have come against conference competition, as she is tied with Echegini for the league lead. The freshman has also tallied six assists this season, which ties her for the 10th-most in the conference.

Pensky earns his first ACC Coach of the Year honor after leading No. 1 Florida State to an undefeated 14-0-1 regular season and the ACC regular-season title. The Seminoles are one of nine teams nationally that have scored 50 or more goals this season (50), as they rank second nationally in scoring offense at 3.33 goals per match. In conference matches this season, FSU scored 36 goals, 12 more than the second-place team, while only allowing 10 goals, the fourth fewest in the ACC. Since Oct. 10, the Seminoles have been the No. 1 team for four straight weeks in the United Soccer Coaches Poll.

The league also announced the 2023 all-conference teams on Wednesday, which are listed below. The all-conference teams are voted on by the head coaches.

The 2023 Ally ACC Women’s Soccer Championship continues Thursday with semifinal action at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina. Second-seeded Notre Dame faces third-seeded Clemson at 5:30 p.m., while top-seeded Florida State takes on fifth-seeded Pitt at 8 p.m. ACC Network will broadcast both matchups.

Thursday’s winners will square off on Sunday, Nov. 5, at noon in the final on ESPNU.

2023 All-ACC Women’s Soccer Team

Offensive Player of the Year: Onyi Echegini, Sr., M, Florida State
Defensive Player of the Year: Eva Gaetino, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Midfielder of the Year: Ally Sentnor, R-So., M, North Carolina
Goalkeeper of the Year: Halle Mackiewicz, Sr., GK, Clemson
Freshman of the Year: Jordynn Dudley, Fr., F, Florida State
Coach of the Year: Brian Pensky, Florida State

First Team All-ACC