Freshman Trio Earns Women's Soccer All-American Awards; Saber Named National Coach Of The Year

MEDIA, Pa. -- Three Penn State Brandywine freshmen claimed all-American awards from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association, while Head Coach Sharif Saber was named Women's Soccer Coach of the Year by the association last week.

Brianna Banks (Philadelphia, Pa./Parkway Center) landed First Team All-American accolades, while Emily Bush (Bayville, N.J./Central Regional) earned second team honors and Brooke Muhlbaier (Millville, N.J./Millville) was an honorable mention selection.

Banks, the Penn State University Athletic Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, also claimed first team all-conference laurels as she was the leading scorer in the PSUAC and fourth-leading scorer nationally with 69 total points. Banks scored Brandywine's first-ever goal at the USCAA Tournament on Friday, giving her 30 for the season, along with nine assists. Her 30 goals are the fourth-highest total in the USCAA.

To begin her career, Banks scored in 13-straight matches and netted at least one goal in 14-of-16 games overall this season. She produced four games with at least three goals, including a five-goal showing against Penn State Scranton and a six-goal performance versus Penn State Greater Allegheny in back-to-back games during September.

Bush, also a first team all-conference honoree, quickly became one of the top goalkeepers in the USCAA, finishing her freshman season with a record of 13-2. Her 13 victories were tied for second among all USCAA netminders.

In 16 matches, Bush compiled eight shutouts, a 0.97 goals-against average and .808 save percentage, ranking her among the top eight goalkeepers in the nation in each category. From Sept. 14-21, Bush produced three-straight shutouts against PSUAC opponents and established a new program record with a scoreless streak of 349:57 in goal. In 11 matches against PSUAC foes, Bush surrendered just four goals.

Muhlbaier finished the season with 30 points, the third-highest total on the team, on 10 goals and 10 assists. She recorded her 10th helper of the season on Saturday during the USCAA Tournament, making her one of just nine players nationally to reach double figures in both goals and assists.

One of four Lions to appear in all 16 games, Muhlbaier set a single-game program record with four assists during an Oct. 4 victory over Penn State Schuylkill. From Sept. 29-Nov. 2, Muhlbaier registered at least two points in all eight of the team's games, including the game-winning goal in Brandywine's PSUAC Championship victory over Schuylkill on Nov. 2.

Saber, in his second season with the Lions, became Brandywine's first-ever national coach of the year in any sport. In just its second season as a varsity program, Brandywine posted a 14-3 record under Saber's guidance. The Lions cruised to the PSUAC championship with an 11-0 record against league foes, outscoring the competition 61-4.

During its season opener, Brandywine defeated Immaculata for its first-ever win over a NCAA Division III program. From Sept. 14-Nov. 2, Brandywine won 13 consecutive games, capping off the streak with a 1-0 victory over Schuylkill to clinch the team's first conference championship. Brandywine featured eight all-conference standouts, a league high.

In two seasons at the helm, Saber owns a 21-5-2 record, including a 17-1-2 mark against PSUAC teams.