by Mackenzie McMahon
Three members of the Hope College women's soccer team have made the 2021 All-Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Teams.
Two first-team members in senior forward Sarah Mikesell (Norton Shore, Michigan / Mona Shores HS) znd sophomore defender Jenna Mustapha (Ada Michigan / Forest Hills Northern).
The second team member is senior midfielder Caroline Burkhardt (Louisville, Kentucky / Martha Layne Collins).
Mikesell has been a top contributor on the field this season with six goals and three assists in conference play (13 goals and six assists overall), while also posting two game-winning goals and starting all eight conference games.
This is Mikesell's second All-MIAA selection.
The nursing major tops the points, assists, and goals category for the Flying Dutch, and most recently kicked in the game-winning-goal against Kalamazoo College in the MIAA Quarterfinals last weekend.
"Sarah has been invaluable to the team this year," head coach Leigh Sears said. "She is a versatile player who has the ability to play on both the right and left sides of the field along with a speed on the ball that makes her difficult to defend. Contributing to Sarah's technical skill is her relentless mentality to score and work ethic throughout the entire game."
Mustapha, with her shut-down defense mentality, has started for the orange and blue in all eight conference games.
The two-time All-MIAA sophomore and chemistry major also recorded 15 shots on goal against league opponents this season, with four points on one goal and two assists. Mustapha takes Hope's free kicks.
"Jenna's knowledge of the game and ability to adjust quickly to the opponent's attack has been a huge asset this year, allowing us to remain organized on defense and aiding in our offensive build-up from our backline," Sears said. "She is highly dangerous on restarts, scoring her first collegiate goal this year."
Burkhardt, a civil engineering major, is currently second in assists for the Flying Dutchmen this season and is a first-time All-MIAA honoree. The midfielder has been on the field to start for all eight conference games and put up 15 shots on net in league play.
"Caroline is a highly technical player and workhorse who has the vision to find her teammates going forward. Her ability to exploit the opposition's gaps to set her teammates up in dangerous scoring opportunities has been of huge value in our team's offense this year," Sears says of Burkhardt. "She is always willing to do whatever it takes to win and never gives up."
