UAPB Soccer: Musungu Named Defensive Player of the Year; Three Lady Lions Tabbed to Postseason Honors
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced its 2023 Soccer Postseason Honors. The all-conference teams and individual award winners were voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff had three student-athletes from the women’s soccer team to earn postseason honors.
Junior Brisha Munsungu in the SWAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, after improving tremendously from the previous season. Musungu has started in all 20 of UAPB’s matches this season, playing a full 90-minutes in 14 of those matches. Musungu’s title is highlighted by the Lady Lions win over Tarleton State at home, where she score the game-winning goal and anchored the defense to a shutout over a team that averaged three goals per game coming into the contest. Later in the season, Musungu played 90 total minutes in both matches against Alabama A&M and Alabama State, anchoring the defense to hold both teams without a goal, while also scoring the game-winning goal against Alabama A&M.
Senior Iyanah Hicks earned First-Team All-SWAC honors following an amazing offensive campaign. Hicks was the second-leading scorer in goals in the conference with eight goals, while also ranking second in total points with 19 points, and third in shots on goals with 26. Hicks posted her third career hat-trick this season in route to the Lady Lions record-setting 16-0 victory over Tougaloo College.
Freshman Yiselle Bernal earned Second-Team All-SWAC honors after leading the conference in total goals made with 10 total goals. Bernal posted a season-best, two total hat tricks this season, which helped the Lady Lions lead the league in multiple offensive categories.
