Big Ten announces 2022 Women’s Soccer All-Conference Teams and awards

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference announced the 2022 Women’s Soccer All-Big Ten Teams and individual honors, with Big Ten champion Michigan State earning four individual accolades, according to a vote of the conference’s 14 head coaches.

The Spartans’ Lauren DeBeau was selected as the Forward of the Year, Ruby Diodati collected Defender of the Year honors, Lauren Kozal was chosen as Goalkeeper of the Year, and Jeff Hosler was voted Coach of the Year. In addition, Wisconsin’s Emma Jaskaniec was named Midfielder of the Year and Northwestern’s Caterina Regazzoni earned Freshman of the Year accolades.

DeBeau is the first Michigan State student-athlete chosen as Forward of the Year since the award debuted in 2011, with the last Spartan to capture a top Big Ten individual offensive award being Laura Heyboer, who was unanimously voted the 2008 Offensive Player of the Year. A senior from Shelby Township, Mich., DeBeau is tied for the Big Ten lead this season in goals (10), while ranking second in the conference in goals per game (0.59) points (23) and points per game (1.35). During Big Ten play, she led the conference or was tied for the lead in goals (7), goals per game (0.78), points (16) and points per game (1.78).

[+READ: Bracket revealed for 2022 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament]

Jaskaniec is the second Wisconsin player selected as Midfielder of the Year and the first since current U.S. Women’s National Team standout Rose Lavelle earned back-to-back honors in 2015 and 2016. A senior from Menomonee Falls, Wis., Jaskaniec has played in 15 matches this season, leading or sharing the conference lead in goals (10), goals per game (0.67), points (24) and points per game (1.60), while helping the Badgers to a third-place finish in the Big Ten standings, Wisconsin’s fourth top-four conference showing in the past five seasons (a run that included the 2019 Big Ten title).

In her lone season in East Lansing as a graduate transfer from Colgate, Diodati makes history as the first Michigan State student-athlete to receive the Big Ten’s top defensive award (either in its current form as Defender of the Year or previously as Defensive Player of the Year). Originally from Mendon, Mass., Diodati has started all 18 matches on the backline for the Spartans this season, helping MSU record a conference-high 12 shutouts, including seven of their 10 conference matches. Diodati has also contributed at the offensive end of the pitch, tying for third in the Big Ten with seven assists this year, including a conference-best five in Big Ten play.

Kozal was unanimously voted as Goalkeeper of the Year, the first unanimous selection for the award since its inception in 2011. The redshirt senior also collected the honor for the second consecutive year, the third two-time recipient and the second to do so in back-to-back seasons — Wisconsin’s Jordyn Bloomer was chosen in 2019-20, while Rutgers’ Casey Murphy (now a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team) was honored twice but in non-consecutive seasons (2015 and 2017). The Ada, Mich., native is tops in the Big Ten with 10 shutouts, 0.56 shutouts per game, an .877 save percentage and a 0.41 goals-against average (GAA), with the latter figure on pace to rank among the top five single-season GAA marks in Big Ten history.

Regazzoni is the second Northwestern student-athlete to earn Freshman of the Year accolades and the first since 1996, when Erica Westrich captured the award. The Zurich, Switzerland, product is one of a collection of strong Wildcat midfielders this season that helped pace NU to a runner-up finish in this year’s Big Ten standings, Northwestern’s best showing since 2017. Regazzoni has registered three goals and two assists this season for a Wildcat offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in points (112) and assists (38) and third in goals (37).

Hosler is the second Michigan State coach to be selected as Big Ten Coach of the Year by his peers, and the first in more than two decades, following Tom Saxton’s twin honors in 1994 and 2000. In just his second season at the helm in East Lansing, Hosler has been the architect of a remarkable resurgence at Michigan State, leading the Spartans to their first Big Ten title with an unbeaten 9-0-1 conference record, along with a 14-1-3 overall mark, MSU’s highest win total since 2011 (also 14) and one off the school record set in 1986. This season, Michigan State has also been ranked in the United Soccer Coaches poll for the first time since 2009, currently standing at a season-high No. 6 in the nation.

DeBeau, Jaskaniec, Diodati and Kozal earned spots on the All-Big Ten First Team, with Kozal chosen unanimously. Joining that quartet in receiving first-team all-conference honors were Michigan State’s Justina Gaynor, Nebraska’s Sarah Weber, Northwestern’s Meg Boade, Ohio State’s Talani Barnett and Kayla Fischer, Penn State’s Ally Schlegel and Rutgers’ Emily Mason. The complete All-Big Ten teams, including the Big Ten All-Freshman Team, can be found below.

The Big Ten also recognized 14 Sportsmanship Award honorees. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The complete list of honorees can also be found below.

The 2022 Big Ten Tournament kicks off Sunday with four quarterfinal matches at campus sites around the conference. Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app will televise a 4 p.m. (ET) quarterfinal featuring top-seeded Michigan State welcoming No. 8 seed Minnesota, with the other three quarterfinals (to be played at No. 2 seed Northwestern, No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 4 Nebraska) will be broadcast live on BTN’s digital subscription service, B1G+ (more details available at bigtenplus.com).

The tournament then moves to Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, with the semifinals to be played Nov. 3 (2 and 4:30 p.m. ET) and the championship match scheduled for Nov. 6 (2 p.m. ET). All three contests from Columbus will be televised live on BTN and the FOX Sports app. The winner of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament will earn the conference’s automatic berth into this year’s NCAA Tournament.