FARMINGTON, Utah (October 25, 2023) – Allie Larsen was named the Big Sky's Co-Defensive MVP as the conference announced Thursday morning. Votes are received from each team's head coaches.
No stranger to Big Sky accolades, Larsen's Defensive MVP honors marks the graduate student's first individual conference award of her five-year career. Larsen has been named honorable mention her freshman and junior seasons at Montana, while being named second team all-conference her sophomore and senior seasons.
Larsen is the only player to make all 17 starts for the Jacks this season, while being one of just three field players to record 1,300 plus minutes in the regular season. The Louisville, Colorado native is tied for second on the team in points with seven total, coming from two goals and three assists on the season.
Larsen's first assist with the Jacks came in the team's first regular season game of the year at UTEP on the game-winning goal. Just off a throw-in,
Maddie Shafer netted the game winner to secure the victory in the 83
rd minute of play. Her second assist was no different against LMU as Larsen intercepted a pass, found a rout down the right side and connected with
Allison Veloz for the game winner against the Lions.
Larsen registered two goals in the Jacks 4-1 victory against Weber State, scoring the game-winning goal off a free-kick from 35 feet out just six minutes into the match and adding another in the 41
st minute in similar free-kick fashion. Larsen's last assist came against Northern Colorado, sending the ball to Shafer after a run down the field through multiple Northern Colorado defenders for Shafer's second goal of the game.
Larsen's defensive efforts have led the Lumberjacks to six season shutouts, while the team sits in third place overall in goals allowed, only allowing .88 a match.
The efforts will now turn to Larsen's final Big Sky Championship as Northern Arizona gets set to host the tournament in Flagstaff next week, beginning with a quarterfinal matchup against Sacramento State on Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. MST.
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