Butler women’s soccer finished 5-4-8 this season. Photo by Jonathan Wang.
OWEN PRISCOTT | STAFF REPORTER | opriscott@butler.edu
On Nov. 5, the Big East conference announced the women’s soccer annual awards, and the Bulldogs made their mark with four all-Big East selections.
Two Dawgs earned spots on the All-Big East Third Team: sophomore forward Léa Larouche and sophomore defender/forward Chloe Brecht.
Larouche started all 17 matches for the Bulldogs, recording seven points on the season. Her standout game came on Sept. 27, when she assisted all three Butler goals in a 3-1 victory against Providence.
Brecht was just as consistent, tallying eight points and finishing fourth on the squad with 25 shots. Most impressively, Brecht logged all 90 minutes in 10 of her 16 games this season, anchoring the Dawgs on both ends of the pitch.
Junior defender Lucia Englund earned Butler’s next honor, securing her spot on the All-Big East Second Team. After being named to the third team last season, Englund elevated her play to become the backbone of Butler’s defense. Englund was recognized as Big East Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29, and held down the back line for Butler all season. Englund’s top performance also came against Providence, when she cashed in one of Larouche’s assists for a goal and had an assist of her own in the win.
Butler’s biggest recognition came from its MVP every step of the way — senior midfielder Talia Sommer. After receiving first team honors a year ago, Sommer was named Co-Midfielder of the Year — and received her second first team selection — sharing the honor with Xavier’s Samantha Erbach. It marks the first time that a Bulldog has received the award since joining the Big East in 2013. Sommer’s consistency and leadership in the midfield were crucial to Butler’s success this season, as she stuffed the statsheet and created highlight plays in just about every match.
Sommer capped her senior season by topping the Bulldogs’ offensive charts in every category. She tallied 19 points — six goals and seven assists — while firing 64 shots and 26 on-goal attempts.
Sommer reflected on the culmination of her Butler career with humility and gratitude, crediting everyone around her.
“Having a team of amazing soccer players and even better human beings has been integral to my success on the field, and my happiness off of it,” Sommer said. “[Co-head coaches] Rob [Alman] and Tari [St. John] has been instrumental in my professional development. I am a better leader, goal scorer, teammate and overall player than I was four years ago, and I give so much of that credit to the coaching staff, which has taken me to that next level.”
The senior also reflected on what it meant to receive one of the conference’s highest honors.
“Winning a major award is both a mental and professional journey,” Sommer said. “Of course, you always want to work hard enough to be in a position to get voted as best in the league, but for me, I knew that I never wanted that to be my focus. It is a good feeling at the end of the day to be recognized and to know that the Big East values me in that way.”
At the end of the day, however, it is not about the award for Sommer.
“My focus over the past four years has been to be the best teammate and player that I can be,” Sommer said. “My journey has been a value-driven one focused on my path, not a goal-driven one [focused] on the destination. Abiding by The Butler Way and the way I know I want to lead a life of meaning and passion has made my time at Butler so special.”
Sommer ends her Butler career ranked seventh all-time in goals, tied for fifth in assists, seventh in total points and eighth in shots in program history. That resume cements her as one of the most accomplished players to ever wear a Butler uniform.
