CHICAGO – The Drake University women's soccer team earned multiple Missouri Valley Conference end of the season awards Thursday night at the MVC women's soccer awards banquet in Chicago.
 
Senior Elaine Gorom (O'Fallon, Ill.) was named MVC Co-Defensive Player of the Year with Loyola's Madison Laudeman along with being selected to the All-MVC First Team. Junior Cassie Rohan (Palatine, Ill.) joined Gorom on the All-MVC First Team.
 
A trio of Bulldogs landed on the All-MVC Second Team as redshirt junior Vanessa Kavan (Lincoln, Neb.), junior Shelley Lyjak (Bartlett, Ill.) and sophomore Kelsie Stone (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) earned their first All-MVC accolades. Senior Alyssa Brand (Skokie, Ill.) and freshman Alison Walls (Kansas City, Mo.) garnered All-MVC Honorable Mention honors.
 
For the sixth-straight season, Drake has two first-year student-athletes tabbed to the MVC All-Freshman team as Libby Helverson (West Des Moines, Iowa) and Walls received the honors in 2018.
 
Gorom is the fourth player in school history to be named MVC Defensive Player of the Year. She started 17 matches this season, helped the Bulldogs' defense record five shutouts and hold MVC opponents to a league-low four goals and all of Drake's 2018 opponents to league-low 17 goals. These are the first-ever MVC awards for Gorom who has appeared in 69 career matches. Rohan, a midfielder, played in 14 matches with 10 starts and handed out two assists, including the assist on Brand's game winner against UNI. She was named to the 2016 MVC All-Freshman team.
 
Kavan, a defender, returned to the field this season after missing most of 2017 due to injury. She played in 17 matches with 15 starts, scored one goal, handed out two assists and helped guide the defense with Gorom. Lyjak, a forward, has appeared in 17 matches, scored a golden goal at Valparaiso and led the team with three assists. Stone has played every minute at goalkeeper for the Bulldogs in her second season and been the final defense of the Bulldogs' backline with Gorom and Kavan. She has five shutouts, tallied 86 saves and leads the Valley in goals against average (0.54), save percentage (90.9) and shutouts (4) in league action. Stone allowed just four goals and had four shutouts in league play, both totals led the Valley.
 
Brand, who missed most of the season due to injury, returned to the lineup at Loyola Oct. 6. She made an immediate impact in league play with two game-winning goals and handed out one assist in just five matches. Brand earned All-MVC honors each of her four seasons at Drake. Walls played in 17 matches in her first season. She is second on the team in goals with three to go with two assists. Helverson appeared in 17 matches in her first season, made seven starts and scored a golden goal versus Indiana State in a huge 3-2 comeback win for the Bulldogs.  
 
No. 2 Drake plays sixth-seeded Evansville in the MVC Tournament semifinals on Friday at 3:30 p.m. at Loyola Soccer Park. The Bulldogs are vying to win their second-ever MVC Tournament title and claim the MVC's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. Friday's match will be broadcast on ESPN+.