Natalie Kulla has finished her soccer career and moved on to the next step in her life, but she keeps winning awards.

The former Marquette goalkeeper, who finished her career last fall ranked second in NCAA Division I history with 43 shutouts, was named the 2011-12 Big East Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The Milwaukee Marquette boys soccer team took on all comers last fall and was nearly perfect, finishing 24-0-1 against a schedule that included top teams from California, Washington, D.C., Missouri, Indiana and Illinois in addition to Wisconsin competition.

The Hilltoppers didn't win a mythical national title – they ended up third in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 and fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll – but their performance led a major honor for their coach.

Nearly nine hours after being selected with the 10th pick in the Major League Soccer SuperDraft, and after doing who knows how many interviews, Ethan Finlay's voice was a little hoarse Thursday night.

But he was still excited to talk about his day and his future with the Columbus Crew.

Marquette's Calum Mallace was taken by the Montreal Impact as the 1st pick in the 2nd round of today's MLS SuperDraft. The Minnesota native who won Big East Midfielder of the Year honors and was also Marquette's lone All-BIG EAST First Team selection (2nd time selection), was the 20th overall pick in the 2012 draft.

The big day is here for three Wisconsin players, who hope to hear their names called during the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

The consensus among national writers who cover the league is that midfielder Calum Mallace (Marquette) and forward-midfielder Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) will indeed be selected in the two-round draft, and midfielder Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) also could be among the 38 selections.

By FRANCO PANIZO

FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The 2012 MLS Combine has come to a close, but not before several players used the event to help their stock while others did not.

In a class dominated by attacking talent, several forwards and creative midfielders enjoyed strong combines, showcasing their goal-scoring and playmaking abilities.

The trio of Wisconsin players at the Major League Soccer Combine did their best Tuesday to leave good final impressions on the league's coaches and general managers before the SuperDraft.

Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) and Calum Mallace (Marquette) came off the bench and scored in an eight-minute span in the second half to help spark the adiPower team beat adiPure 4-1 in the last of six matches at the Combine in Lauderhill, Fla.

The big names at the 2012 MLS Combine have for the most part lived up to expectations through two Combine match-days, but there have also been some lesser-known players who have also boosted their stock in Fort Lauderdale.

Three of the players to help boost their draft stock are Fordham goalkeeper Ryan Meara, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace and Creighton forward Ethan Finlay.

The MLS Combine resumes action today as MLS Draft prospects look to give scouts and coaches more to think about as we draw closer to the MLS Draft on Thursday.

Day One saw several players boost their stock, while some others struggled to make an impact. UCSB playmaker Luis Silva, UCLA striker Chandler Hoffman, Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace, Louisville's Austin Berry and Indiana's Tommy Meyer were just some of the players who enjoyed strong first days.

Three players with Wisconsin ties are looking to impress coaches this weekend at the Major League Soccer Combine, which kicked off Friday in Lauderhill, Fla.

Midfielders Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East/UW-Green Bay) and Calum Mallace (Marquette) came off the bench for the adiPower team in their 3-2 win over Team PRIME in the first of six matches at the Combine.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't watch much college soccer, sorry. There's simply too much out there for me to consume to give a great deal of attention to a version of the sport where the clock runs the wrong direction and there are infinite substitutions. That said, I do try to watch the playoffs and Final Four every year to at least have some idea of the potential names that could be coming to MLS.

Seniors Logan Andryk and Patrick Hodan, who helped lead Milwaukee Marquette to its second consecutive WIAA Division 1 state title, were among 33 players named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America Boys High School Scholar All-America team.

Andryk, a midfielder, had six goals and nine assists as the Hilltoppers (24-0-1) finished the season ranked third in the country by ESPNHS and fourth by the NSCAA.

Creighton senior forward Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) collected another All-American honor, while Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace added his first.

Finlay was a first-team choice and Mallace made the second team of the College Soccer News team.

On Friday, Finlay was named to the top team of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America NCAA Division I men's All-America team and was announced as one of three finalists for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, awarded to the country's top player.

Milwaukee Marquette senior forward Patrick Hodan and former Sugar River midfielder Hannah Kernen, the Wisconsin prep boys and girls players of the year for 2011, were named high school All-Americans by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

Hodan, a Notre Dame recruit, and Kernen, who recently completed her freshman season at UW-Green Bay, also led the state contingent on the All-Region V team.

The midfielders who made the the offenses go for the Marquette and University of Wisconsin men's soccer teams this fall were honored with spots on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Great Lakes Region team.

Golden Eagles senior Calum Mallace was a first-team selection on the regional team, while Badgers junior Tomislav Zadro made the second team.

UW-Milwaukee and Marquette each won conference titles, each advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament and each had four players named to National Soccer Coaches Association of America women's all-region teams.

The Panthers' trio of senior forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton North), senior midfielder Keara Thompson and junior goalkeeper Jamie Forbes were all first-team selections on the All-Great Lakes Region team, while junior midfielder Helen Steinhauser made the second team.

Marquette goalkeeper Natalie Kulla was one of five players named to the Lowe's Senior CLASS women's soccer first team.

The Senior CLASS program is for senior student-athletes only and acknowledges excellence in four areas: competition, character, community and the classroom.

Three players with state ties are on the initial list of players invited to participate in next month's Major League Soccer Player Combine.

UW-Green Bay midfielder Tony Walls (Wauwatosa East), Marquette midfielder Calum Mallace and Creighton forward Ethan Finlay (Marshfield) are among the 52 college seniors selected to attend the combine, which is Jan.

Notre Dame recruit Patrick Hodan (Milwaukee Marquette) and UW-Green Bay recruit Cheenuj Shong (Milwaukee Ronald Reagan) scored Tuesday as FC Milwaukee's Under-17/18 team closed the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Winter Showcase with its first victory of the 2011-12 season, a 2-1 win over New Jersey's NJSA 04 in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

Beloit College, Lawrence, Maranatha Baptist and Marquette are among 153 schools nationwide that had both their men's and women's soccer programs earn the NSCAA Team Academic Award this season.

The honor was awarded to 787 teams with a 3.0 grade-point average or better, including 568 women's teams and 219 men's programs.

Milwaukee Marquette, which went 24-0-1 en route to winning its second straight WIAA Division 1 state championship, finished the season in the top five in both national prep boys soccer rankings.

The Hilltoppers remained third in the ESPNHS Powerade Fab 50 rankings and fourth in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll on Tuesday as both outlets released their final rankings of the fall season.

There was more than one successful women's soccer team at Marquette this fall.

While the Golden Eagles varsity team claimed a share of its third straight Big East Conference American Division title and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, the school's club team won the Great Lakes Division of the Women's Midwest Alliance Soccer Conference and advanced to the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association National Championships.

Mark Newman, who led Mount Horeb to its first WIAA Division 2 boys soccer state championship, was named the Large Schools Coach of the Year by the Wisconsin Soccer Coaches Association.

Milwaukee Marquette's Steve Lawrence, whose team won its second consecutive Division 1 title and is among the top-ranked teams in the country, was chosen the Private/Parochial Coach of the Year.

A trio of Wisconsin women's teams continue play in the NCAA tournament on Friday.

City rivals Marquette and UW-Milwaukee are both in North Carolina for second-round Division I matches – and they'll hope to be playing in the third round on Sunday. UW-Whitewater, meanwhile, plays in the third round of the Division III tournament Friday, shooting to advance to the national quarterfinals on Saturday.

Milwaukee Marquette senior forward Joe Naughton has one more prep soccer game to play this year.

Naughton was one of 40 senior boys soccer players across the country selected for the inaugural High School All-American Game, which is scheduled for Dec. 10 in Birmingham, Ala.

By Joe Stevenson
Northwest Herald
Erin Holland has played soccer at an elite level since joining the Eclipse Select Soccer club when she was 11 years old.
Holland, a Cary resident and junior at Cary-Grove, made sure she will be playing with another elite team when she goes to college in two years.

Soccer fans in Milwaukee have two NCAA Division I tournament matches to choose from Saturday night, as both No. 12 Marquette and 15th-ranked UW-Milwaukee are playing host to first-round games.

Both teams are in the tournament for the fourth straight year and the eighth time since 2001 – coincidentally, each team has qualified in the same years in that time.

UW-Milwaukee celebrated another Horizon League championship on its home field Sunday, now the Panthers will wait to see where they end up in the 64-team NCAA tournament bracket.

City rival Marquette also will learn its NCAA tournament assignment when the field and pairings are announced Monday.

The UW-Green Bay men's soccer team secured a home match for the Horizon League tournament and will head into the postseason coming off a win over the previously unbeaten conference champions.

Meanwhile, UW-Milwaukee saw its season come to an end after losing a regular-season finale that ended up being like a playoff game.

Depending on results in New Jersey and Maryland, Milwaukee Marquette could be crowned the national champion in prep boys soccer on Sunday.

The Hilltoppers (24-0-1), who completed their season by winning the WIAA Division 1 state title last weekend, are ranked third in the ESPN RISE Fab 50. The two teams ranked ahead of them – No.

The strongest conference in college soccer will begin the path toward crowning its champion today as the Big East Tournament kicks off and a half dozen nationally-ranked teams do battle for the crown currently held by Louisville.

South Florida enters as the favorite, with pre-season favorites Louisville and UConn being forced to take longer roads to the semifinals after enduring some disappointing results.

Patrick Hodan was among the state's top goal scorers this season, finding the back of the net 45 times.

But the Milwaukee Marquette senior forward was at his best in the biggest games.

Hodan finished his career with 14 goals in seven WIAA state tournament matches, including eight last weekend at Milwaukee's Uihlein Soccer Park as the Hilltoppers (24-0-1) won their eighth Division 1 title in the past 12 years.

The UW-Milwaukee women's soccer wrapped up a perfect Horizon League season and is looking forward to playing host to the semifinals and final of the conference tournament.

Meanwhile, Marquette was eliminated from the Big East Conference tournament is looking ahead to the NCAA tournament, while UW-Green Bay is looking at next season after having its season come to an end.

It was a devastating end of the season for Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) and Ängelholms FF on Sunday night in Sweden.

The Superettan side saw their hopes of promotion to the Allsvenskan extinguished on an own goal in the final seconds of stoppage time, as host Syrianska posted a 3-1 victory in Södertälje that gave them a 4-3 aggregate victory in the two-match series and kept the club in the top division for 2012.

For just the third time in program history, the Marquette men's soccer team is a conference champion.

The Golden Eagles, who were picked to finish sixth out of the eight teams in the Big East Conference Blue Division in the preseason coaches' poll, celebrated their first Big East title Saturday night at home at Valley Fields.

Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) and Ängelholms FF are 90 minutes away from playing in Sweden's top division.

Pyzdrowski made three saves and host Ängelholms came back to beat Syrianska 2-1 on Thursday night in the first leg of a two-game playoff series for the final spot in the Allsvenskan for the 2012 season.

Catch up with the men's and women's soccer coaches from Marquette, UW-Green Bay and UW-Milwaukee each week in our College Coaches' Corner.

This week, we also have interviews with University of Wisconsin men's coach John Trask and women's coach Paula Wilkins from the school's weekly news conference.

City rivals Marquette and UW-Milwaukee celebrated repeat conference titles during the week, though the Panthers saw their long winning streak halted in surprising fashion.

Meanwhile, UW-Green Bay will have extra motivation when it plays the Panthers in a regular-season finale next Friday.

There was plenty of action for the state's Division I men's soccer teams this week.

Marquette battled yet another ranked opponent in dreadful conditions and lost, but the Golden Eagles got a hat trick from a freshman and continue to lead their division in the Big East Conference.

UW-Green Bay came up with a big win over a state rival, then pulled off an impressive rally to move up the Horizon League standings.

Matt Pyzdrowski (Marquette) was in the middle of some incredible drama Saturday.

His Ängelholms FF side played host to Hammarby on the final day of the season in the Superettan, Sweden's second division.

Ängelholms went into the day knowing that a win and a loss by GIF Sundsvall would give them automatic promotion to the Allsvenskan next year.