William Smith College senior midfielder Julia Berg was named a 2022 United Soccer Coaches All-American on Wednesday. She was selected to the first team.
Since 1987, William Smith has had 39 players earn 54 All-America awards from the United Soccer Coaches. Berg is the 23rd Heron to receive first-team recognition.
The awards continue to pile up for Berg. The Charlottesville, Virginia, native was named to the All-Region first team on Tuesday. Berg was named the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year twice and is a two-time first-team All-Liberty League selection. She is a three-time Liberty League All-academic selection and was named to the 2022 Academic All‐District® team this year.
A two-way midfielder, Berg started all 21 games she played in this fall. She had five goals and 10 points. Three of her goals were game-winning tallies. Berg notched the game-winning goal in the home opener against then No. 15 Carnegie Mellon. She also scored in the NCAA quarterfinal contest against No. 4 Case Western Reserve.
Berg led a defensive unit that was one of the best in the nation. The Herons are fourth in shutout percentage (.727) and 18th in goals against average (0.49). The Herons’ defense pitched 16 shutouts, tied for fifth in the country. William Smith limited its opponents to 6.8 shots per game. The Herons had eight straight shutouts from Oct. 14-Nov. 13.
A three-year starter, Berg played in 67 career games. She had 23 points on 10 goals and three assists.
Berg and the class of 2023 finished their careers with a 54-6-8 overall record. In three seasons, they guided the Herons to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the championship game in 2019. They won three Liberty League regular season titles and two tournament championships.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].