Dec. 30, 2009
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State junior Cat Walker has been named the San Diego Union-Tribune Female Soccer Player of the Year, as written in the Dec. 30, 2009, edition of the paper.
Walker led the Aztecs to one of their best seasons ever as the team finished with a 15-4-5 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament. SDSU was the sixth most improved team in nation, according to somissports.com.
The junior from Folsom, Calif., played a huge role in the Aztecs advancing to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1999 as she tallied a team-high 11 goals, 27 points, 67 shots, 29 shots on goal and six game-winning goals. Of her 11 goals, three came in arguably the three most important games of the season.
Against Utah in the semifinals of the MWC Championships, Walker provided the tying goal in the 83rd minute of a game SDSU eventually won 2-1 in overtime. In the championship game against eighth-ranked BYU in Provo, Walker notched the only goal in the game, which gave the Scarlet and Black its first MWC tournament crown and the league's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Then against city foe San Diego, the junior once again scored the only goal to propel the Aztecs into the second round of the NCAA draw.
The award is one of many postseason accolades Walker has earned this year. At the end of the regular season, Walker was named Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year and placed on the all-conference first team. Following the MWC tournament, Walker garnered MVP honors and was named to the first team before earning NSCAA all-Pacific Region second-team accolades.
To qualify for the Union-Tribune soccer awards, the player must have a significant tie to the San Diego area to be eligible. For instance, the player must have grown up in San Diego, attended high school or college in region or currently be a county resident.