Xavier University Athletics
Samantha Erbach Named BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year; Natalie Bain Repeats at BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
11.05.25 | Women's Soccer
Nine Musketeers earn All-BIG EAST honors
NEW YORK - A pair of Musketeers earned 2025 post-season honors from the BIG EAST Conference, with Natalie Bain repeating as the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and Samantha Erbach named the conference's Co-Midfielder of the Year, as voted on by the league's coaches.
Nine Musketeers in total were named to All-BIG EAST Teams, with Erbach and Bain joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by forward Elin Hansson. Regan Dancer and Emma Flick both picked up All-BIG EAST Second Team honors, and four Musketeers, Maria Galley, Peyton Kohls, Brooklynn Miltenberger and Reese Slater, earned All-BIG EAST Third Team selections.
Natalie Bain, a senior from Alexandria, Ky., earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second-straight season, also earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team. Bain has started in 17 matches for the Musketeers, playing nearly 1,300 minutes to help Xavier to 12 wins in the matches she's appeared in, including nine shutout victories. Offensively, she has a career-high 10 points on three goals and four assists so far in 2025.
The 2024 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Bain was selected as the league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was ranked No. 8 on TopDrawerSoccer's National Top 100 players list ahead of the 2025 season. Bain was also the only collegiate player selected to attend the Provisional U-23 US Women's National Team Roster for the Domestic Training Camp that ran in late October.
Bain has now earned all-conference honors in all four of her seasons at Xavier, earning All-BIG EAST First Team three times, and picking up All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors in 2022.
Samantha Erbach, a sophomore from Lebanon, Ohio, earned BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and a spot on the all-conference First Team after leading the BIG EAST and ranking among the top players in NCAA DI in offensive output through the regular season. Erbach has 42 points so far this season, third most in the country, and her 2.33 points per game also rank third in NCAA DI. She is the NCAA leader with a school-record 14 assists for the season, and also leads the NCAA at 0.78 assists per game.
Erbach's 14 goals match Elin Hansson for the lead in the BIG EAST and are the ninth most in the NCAA, while her goals per game (0.78) rank 11th in the country. In BIG EAST play, Erbach has a league-high 24 points on eight goals and eight assists.
This is Erbach's second major post-season award of her Xavier career after picking up Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. She was also named to the All-BIG EAST First Team following her freshman season.
Elin Hansson, a senior from Halmstad, Sweden, was named to the 2025 All-BIG EAST First Team after matching Erbach for the league-lead in goals scored. After posting her third hat trick of the season, she has 14 goals for the year, matching Erbach for the lead among BIG EAST players and ninth most in NCAA DI for total goals.
Combined with four assists, Hansson has 33 points on the season, trailing only Erbach among BIG EAST players and ranking 11th among all DI players. She also ranks second in the league and 14th in NCAA DI with 1.83 points per game. Hansson, who was ranked No. 37 in TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top 100 Players list, ranks 12th in the nation in shot accuracy (0.630).
This is Hansson's first post-season honor from the BIG EAST. She was named CSC Academic All-District following the 2024 season, and was a two-time SAC Offensive Player of the Year and all-conference selection at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Regan Dancer, a senior from South Lyon, Mich., picked up All-BIG EAST Second Team honors for a second time in her career after collecting a career-high 16 points during the regular season. Dancer started in all 18 matches for Xavier during the regular season, playing 1,277 minutes for the Musketeers. Her 16 points come on three goals, including the game-winner at Creighton, and a career high 10 assists. Dancer's assist total trails only Erbach among BIG EAST players and is the 10th most in NCAA DI. Eight of her assists have come during BIG EAST play, matching for the league-high during conference action.
This is the third All-BIG EAST honor of Dancer's career, earning Second Team honors in 2024, and All-Freshman honors in 2022.
Emma Flick, a senior from Streetsboro, Ohio, earned all-conference Second Team honors for a second-straight year after collecting 18 points for the season. Flick has starting in all 17 matches she's played in, totaling over 1,200 minutes. She has a career-high seven goals for the year, seventh most among league players. Among her goals are three game-winners, at Cincinnati, against SEMO and at Seton Hall. Flick has also dished out four assists for the season.
This is the second all-conference honor of Flick's career, also earning All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2024.
Maria Galley, a senior from South Windsor, Conn., earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team after making all 18 starts in-goal during the regular season. Galley has six complete shutouts, and has been a part of all nine of Xavier's shutouts for the season. She's allowed only 18 goals in over 1,457 minutes of action and has 13 wins and two draws for the year. Galley has five shutouts in conference play, tied for the second most in league.
This is the fourth all-conference selection of Galley's career, earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2024, 2023 and 2022. She was also named to the All-Freshman Team in 2022.
Peyton Kohls, a redshirt sophomore from Loveland, Ohio, picked up All-BIG EAST Third Team honors after collecting 20 points through the regular season. The forward has a career-best six goals on the year, including the game-winner at DePaul, and has eight assists for the season. Kohls' point total ranks third on the team and sixth in the conference, while her assists rank fourth in the BIG EAST and 35th in NCAA DI.
This is the first all-conference selection of Kohls' Xavier career.
Brooklynn Miltenberger, a junior from Middletown, Ohio, earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team after playing in 17 matches, including making 15 starts, on defense for the Musketeers. Miltenberger played 964 minutes for the Xavier backline that has only allowed 18 goals on the season, and only 13 goals over the last 16 matches. She's helped the Musketeer defense to nine shutouts for the year.
This is the first all-conference selection as a Musketeer for Miltenberger.
Reese Slater, a junior from Northville, Mich., picked up All-BIG EAST Third Team honors from the league coaches. She's played in all 18 matches this season, starting in 17, to total over 1,200 minutes in the Xavier midfield, playing the full 90 minutes in three matches. Slater has a career-high 10 points on a pair of goals and six assists, including scoring the game-winner at Butler. Her total assists rank sixth in the conference and in the top 100 of NCAA DI players.
This is the first all-conference selection for Slater during her time at Xavier.
Offensive Player of the Year: Maja Lardner, Georgetown, Gr., F
Co-Midfielders of the Year: Talia Sommer, Butler, Sr. / Samantha Erbach, Xavier, So.
Defensive Player of the Year: Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Freshman of the Year: Avrie Nelsen, Villanova, Fr., F
Coaching Staff of the Year: Georgetown
All-BIG EAST First Team
Ariana Mondiri, Creighton, Gr., F
Chioma Okafor, UConn, Sr., F
Maja Lardner, Georgetown, Gr., F
Elin Hansson, Xavier, Sr., F
Talia Sommer, Butler, Sr., M
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Jr., M
Natalie Means, Georgetown, Sr., M
Samantha Erbach, Xavier, So., M
Ella McBride, Providence, Sr., D/M
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D
Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK
All-BIG EAST Second Team *
Henley Tippins, Georgetown, Sr., F
Jocelyn Leigh, Marquette, So., F
Tori Gillis, Creighton, Sr., M
Shay Montgomery, Georgetown, Sr., M
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, So., M
Thea Mouratidis, Providence, R-Jr., M
Gabby Koluch, Villanova, Jr., M
Regan Dancer, Xavier, Sr., M
Emma Flick, Xavier, Sr., M
Lucia Englund, Butler, Jr., D
Anna Carson, UConn, 6th, D
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Jr., D
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Fr., GK
All-BIG EAST Third Team *
Se-Hanna Mars, UConn, R-Fr., F
Sienna Gonzales, DePaul, Gr., F
Courtnee Pickles, Providence, Fr., F
Lea Larouche, Butler, So., M/F
Taylor Jenkins, UConn, So., M
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, R-So., M
Reese Slater, Xavier, Jr., M
Chloe Brecht, Butler, So., D/M
Esme Brayshaw, Georgetown, Sr., D
Stephanie Schoeley, Providence, So., D
Meredith Palmer, Villanova, So., D
Brooklynn Miltenberger, Xavier, Jr., D
Maria Galley, Xavier, Sr., GK
* Due to a tie, there are 13 players each on the second and third teams
Nine Musketeers in total were named to All-BIG EAST Teams, with Erbach and Bain joined on the All-BIG EAST First Team by forward Elin Hansson. Regan Dancer and Emma Flick both picked up All-BIG EAST Second Team honors, and four Musketeers, Maria Galley, Peyton Kohls, Brooklynn Miltenberger and Reese Slater, earned All-BIG EAST Third Team selections.
Natalie Bain, a senior from Alexandria, Ky., earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year honors for a second-straight season, also earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST First Team. Bain has started in 17 matches for the Musketeers, playing nearly 1,300 minutes to help Xavier to 12 wins in the matches she's appeared in, including nine shutout victories. Offensively, she has a career-high 10 points on three goals and four assists so far in 2025.
The 2024 BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, Bain was selected as the league's Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and was ranked No. 8 on TopDrawerSoccer's National Top 100 players list ahead of the 2025 season. Bain was also the only collegiate player selected to attend the Provisional U-23 US Women's National Team Roster for the Domestic Training Camp that ran in late October.
Bain has now earned all-conference honors in all four of her seasons at Xavier, earning All-BIG EAST First Team three times, and picking up All-BIG EAST Second Team and All-Freshman Team honors in 2022.
Samantha Erbach, a sophomore from Lebanon, Ohio, earned BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and a spot on the all-conference First Team after leading the BIG EAST and ranking among the top players in NCAA DI in offensive output through the regular season. Erbach has 42 points so far this season, third most in the country, and her 2.33 points per game also rank third in NCAA DI. She is the NCAA leader with a school-record 14 assists for the season, and also leads the NCAA at 0.78 assists per game.
Erbach's 14 goals match Elin Hansson for the lead in the BIG EAST and are the ninth most in the NCAA, while her goals per game (0.78) rank 11th in the country. In BIG EAST play, Erbach has a league-high 24 points on eight goals and eight assists.
This is Erbach's second major post-season award of her Xavier career after picking up Freshman of the Year honors in 2024. She was also named to the All-BIG EAST First Team following her freshman season.
Elin Hansson, a senior from Halmstad, Sweden, was named to the 2025 All-BIG EAST First Team after matching Erbach for the league-lead in goals scored. After posting her third hat trick of the season, she has 14 goals for the year, matching Erbach for the lead among BIG EAST players and ninth most in NCAA DI for total goals.
Combined with four assists, Hansson has 33 points on the season, trailing only Erbach among BIG EAST players and ranking 11th among all DI players. She also ranks second in the league and 14th in NCAA DI with 1.83 points per game. Hansson, who was ranked No. 37 in TopDrawerSoccer's Midseason Top 100 Players list, ranks 12th in the nation in shot accuracy (0.630).
This is Hansson's first post-season honor from the BIG EAST. She was named CSC Academic All-District following the 2024 season, and was a two-time SAC Offensive Player of the Year and all-conference selection at Lenoir-Rhyne.
Regan Dancer, a senior from South Lyon, Mich., picked up All-BIG EAST Second Team honors for a second time in her career after collecting a career-high 16 points during the regular season. Dancer started in all 18 matches for Xavier during the regular season, playing 1,277 minutes for the Musketeers. Her 16 points come on three goals, including the game-winner at Creighton, and a career high 10 assists. Dancer's assist total trails only Erbach among BIG EAST players and is the 10th most in NCAA DI. Eight of her assists have come during BIG EAST play, matching for the league-high during conference action.
This is the third All-BIG EAST honor of Dancer's career, earning Second Team honors in 2024, and All-Freshman honors in 2022.
Emma Flick, a senior from Streetsboro, Ohio, earned all-conference Second Team honors for a second-straight year after collecting 18 points for the season. Flick has starting in all 17 matches she's played in, totaling over 1,200 minutes. She has a career-high seven goals for the year, seventh most among league players. Among her goals are three game-winners, at Cincinnati, against SEMO and at Seton Hall. Flick has also dished out four assists for the season.
This is the second all-conference honor of Flick's career, also earning All-BIG EAST Second Team in 2024.
Maria Galley, a senior from South Windsor, Conn., earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team after making all 18 starts in-goal during the regular season. Galley has six complete shutouts, and has been a part of all nine of Xavier's shutouts for the season. She's allowed only 18 goals in over 1,457 minutes of action and has 13 wins and two draws for the year. Galley has five shutouts in conference play, tied for the second most in league.
This is the fourth all-conference selection of Galley's career, earning All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2024, 2023 and 2022. She was also named to the All-Freshman Team in 2022.
Peyton Kohls, a redshirt sophomore from Loveland, Ohio, picked up All-BIG EAST Third Team honors after collecting 20 points through the regular season. The forward has a career-best six goals on the year, including the game-winner at DePaul, and has eight assists for the season. Kohls' point total ranks third on the team and sixth in the conference, while her assists rank fourth in the BIG EAST and 35th in NCAA DI.
This is the first all-conference selection of Kohls' Xavier career.
Brooklynn Miltenberger, a junior from Middletown, Ohio, earned a spot on the All-BIG EAST Third Team after playing in 17 matches, including making 15 starts, on defense for the Musketeers. Miltenberger played 964 minutes for the Xavier backline that has only allowed 18 goals on the season, and only 13 goals over the last 16 matches. She's helped the Musketeer defense to nine shutouts for the year.
This is the first all-conference selection as a Musketeer for Miltenberger.
Reese Slater, a junior from Northville, Mich., picked up All-BIG EAST Third Team honors from the league coaches. She's played in all 18 matches this season, starting in 17, to total over 1,200 minutes in the Xavier midfield, playing the full 90 minutes in three matches. Slater has a career-high 10 points on a pair of goals and six assists, including scoring the game-winner at Butler. Her total assists rank sixth in the conference and in the top 100 of NCAA DI players.
This is the first all-conference selection for Slater during her time at Xavier.
ALL-BIG EAST Honors
Offensive Player of the Year: Maja Lardner, Georgetown, Gr., F
Co-Midfielders of the Year: Talia Sommer, Butler, Sr. / Samantha Erbach, Xavier, So.
Defensive Player of the Year: Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D
Goalkeeper of the Year: Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Freshman of the Year: Avrie Nelsen, Villanova, Fr., F
Coaching Staff of the Year: Georgetown
All-BIG EAST First Team
Ariana Mondiri, Creighton, Gr., F
Chioma Okafor, UConn, Sr., F
Maja Lardner, Georgetown, Gr., F
Elin Hansson, Xavier, Sr., F
Talia Sommer, Butler, Sr., M
Anaya Johnson, UConn, Jr., M
Natalie Means, Georgetown, Sr., M
Samantha Erbach, Xavier, So., M
Ella McBride, Providence, Sr., D/M
Natalie Bain, Xavier, Sr., D
Cara Martin, Georgetown, Sr., GK
All-BIG EAST Second Team *
Henley Tippins, Georgetown, Sr., F
Jocelyn Leigh, Marquette, So., F
Tori Gillis, Creighton, Sr., M
Shay Montgomery, Georgetown, Sr., M
Lizzie Heller, Georgetown, So., M
Thea Mouratidis, Providence, R-Jr., M
Gabby Koluch, Villanova, Jr., M
Regan Dancer, Xavier, Sr., M
Emma Flick, Xavier, Sr., M
Lucia Englund, Butler, Jr., D
Anna Carson, UConn, 6th, D
Kaya Hanson, Georgetown, Jr., D
Hannah Dickinson, Villanova, Fr., GK
All-BIG EAST Third Team *
Se-Hanna Mars, UConn, R-Fr., F
Sienna Gonzales, DePaul, Gr., F
Courtnee Pickles, Providence, Fr., F
Lea Larouche, Butler, So., M/F
Taylor Jenkins, UConn, So., M
Peyton Kohls, Xavier, R-So., M
Reese Slater, Xavier, Jr., M
Chloe Brecht, Butler, So., D/M
Esme Brayshaw, Georgetown, Sr., D
Stephanie Schoeley, Providence, So., D
Meredith Palmer, Villanova, So., D
Brooklynn Miltenberger, Xavier, Jr., D
Maria Galley, Xavier, Sr., GK
* Due to a tie, there are 13 players each on the second and third teams
Players Mentioned
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