MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Seniors Annika Leslie and Lilly McCarthy of the West Virginia University women's soccer team have been named to the 2024 United Soccer Coaches All-Midwest Region Team, the organization announced this week.
 
A midfielder, McCarthy led the way on the second team, while Leslie, a defender, was named to the third team. McCarthy and Leslie were both recognized on the All-Region teams for the first time in their careers, while they also received nods on the All-Big 12 First Team earlier this year.
 
McCarthy led the Mountaineers with six assists this season, a single-season career high for the Baltimore, Maryland, native. She surpassed 30 career points with her assist in the regular-season finale at Houston on Oct. 25. McCarthy also scored four goals and tallied 14 points on the year, ranking third on the team in both categories. She earned the starting nod in all 20 matches and was fifth on the team with 1,299 minutes played. Additionally, she finished the year ranked No. 9 in the Big 12 Conference in assists.
 
An anchor for the WVU back line, Leslie led the team with 1,771 minutes played this season. She helped the Mountaineer defense tally eight shutouts and started all 20 contests on the year. A native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, she also made a name for herself on the offense this year, with one goal and four assists. All four assists came on set pieces, while three of those were corner kicks. She scored her lone goal of the year directly from a corner kick against Liberty on Sept. 8, tallying her second career Olimpico goal.
 
WVU's pair of honorees this season moves its total number of United Soccer Coaches All-Region recipients to 79 selections in program history.
 
West Virginia concluded its 29th season in 2024 with a 12-5-3 overall record, as well as an 8-2-1 record in Big 12 Conference play. The Mountaineers' 12 wins this season marked their most since 2019, while the eight conference wins are the most since 2016. WVU returned to the NCAA Tournament for the 23rd time in program history and earned its first at-large bid since 2020. Furthermore, coach Nikki Izzo-Brown and the Mountaineers earned the program's 400th win on Oct. 13, as the Mountaineers' all-time record now stands at 402-143-76.

Support the Women's Soccer Sport Enhancement Fund to help make a difference in the experience provided to our student-athletes and coaches. Our teams rely on these donations for equipment purchases, team travel, ever-increasing recruiting costs and other operational expenses. Invest in champions today!
 
 
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.