6 Mustangs Secure All-Big West Honors, Brown Earns Third First Team Selection
11/2/2024 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Highlighted by senior defender Emma Brown earning a third consecutive All-Big West First Team selection, six Cal Poly women’s soccer players received All-Big West honors.
Senior forward Kate Reedy, senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel, junior forward Jessie Halladay, redshirt sophomore midfielder Sophia Minnite and sophomore forward Annika Smith all garnered All-Big West Honorable Mention recognition.
This marks the fourth straight year that at least five Mustangs have secured All-Big West praise.
Emma Brown
All-Big West First Team
Brown joined an exclusive club with her First Team selection, becoming just the fourth Mustang in program history to receive at least three All-Big West First Team selections, joining Sierra Simmons, Carrie Andrews and Elise Krieghoff. The recognition comes as no surprise after the Clovis, Calif. native capped off a remarkable career with yet another stellar season on the pitch this fall.
The 2023 Big West Defensive Player of the Year started in all 19 matches for the Mustangs this season, playing every minute in 17 of them and racking up over 1,595 minutes on the pitch. She posted career highs in shots and shots on goal this season, making a concerted effort to press forward down the stretch for the Mustangs as they fought for a spot in the Big West tournament.
Brown made her 63rd consecutive start in Cal Poly’s season finale at UC San Diego last Thursday to move into a tie into a tie with Wendy Jones (1992-95) for the fourth most career starts in program history (76). She also made her 79th career appearance in the match, moving into a tie with a handful of other players for eighth on Cal Poly's all-time list. The three-time United Soccer Coaches All-West Region selection finishes her career with over 6,735 minutes on the pitch without receiving a card, playing every minute in 67 matches.
Mackenzie Samuel
All-Big West Honorable Mention
Along with Brown, this is Samuel’s fourth consecutive season garnering All-Big West honors, becoming just the fifth four-time All-Big West honoree in program history. Samuel was named the Big West Goalkeeper of the Year and selected to the All-Big West First Team in 2022, and received a spot on the Second Team in 2021 and 2023. The Honorable Mention recognition comes after Samuel recorded three clean sheets, 58 saves, a 1.34 goals against average and a .744 save percentage. Samuel was in between the pipes for all of Cal Poly’s victories this season.
The San Diego native finishes her career with 19 career shutouts, fifth most in program history, and 29 victories. She ranks sixth all-time at Cal Poly in saves (208) and made 61 appearances and 60 starts, which both rank fourth in program history among Mustang goalkeepers.
Kate Reedy
All-Big West Honorable Mention
This is Reedy’s second straight year securing All-Big West praise after being selected to the Second Team a season ago. Reedy buried four goals this season, tied for the second most on the team, and assisted on a goal in a home victory over first-place Hawai’i. Across 17 appearances and 11 starts, the fifth year recorded 25 shots over 1,097 minutes on the pitch.
The Pleasanton, Calif. native finishes her Mustang career with 13 goals and four assists across 71 appearances and 13 starts.
Jessie Halladay
All-Big West Honorable Mention
Halladay led Cal Poly in points (11) for the second straight season to earn All-Big West honors for the first team. In 16 appearances and six starts, Halladay tallied four goals and three assists, and a team-high 39 shots. She converted all three of her penalty kick attempts this fall in her second year as a Mustang.
Sophia Minnite
All-Big West Honorable Mention
Minnite snagged All-Conference accolades for the second consecutive season after grabbing a spot on the All-Freshman Team a year ago. Minnite was at the center of everything for the Mustangs this season in the midfield. The Pleasanton, Calif. native was fourth on the team in minutes this season (1,369), playing in 18 of 19 matches and earning a start in 17 of them. She played every minute in seven matches.
Annika Smith
All-Big West Honorable Mention
Smith followed up a stellar freshman campaign with a strong sophomore season in 2024 to secure All-Big West honors in back-to-back years. The Scottsdale, Ariz. native led the team in goals this fall with five and was second on the team in points (10), appearing in all 19 matches and making a start in 18 of them. Last year as a true freshman, Smith was selected to the All-Big West Second Team and earned a spot on the Big West All-Freshman Team, becoming the first Mustang since 2013 to be named to both in the same season.
