NEW ORLEANS - Old Dominion junior defender Ashlynn Kulha was named Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row and six Monarchs were selected to All-Conference teams, the conference announced on Sunday afternoon.
Kulha received a nod on the All-Sun Belt First Team and midfielder Gry Boe Thrysoe was selected to the second team. Four Monarchs made the All-Sun Belt third team: junior goalkeeper Ellie Goodrich, senior midfielder Yuliia Khrystiuk, freshman forward Ashley Economopoulos, and senior midfielder Andrea Balcazar Algarin.
The junior defender from Holly Springs, N.C. has been key in six shutouts for the Monarchs. The six shutouts are ranked third in the conference; she was named the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on August 26 after helping hold Power Four opponent Maryland to one shot in the entire game and scored a diving header in a 2-0 victory. She picked up her second career Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year and First Team awards and was named Sun Belt Preseason Defensive Player of the Year going into this season.
In all games played, ODU ranks second in the Sun Belt in total goals allowed (14) and goals against average (.88). In conference games, ODU’s ranking stays the same being tied for second in goals allowed (9) and goals against average (.90). In all games played ODU has a +17 goal differential over 16 games and in conference ODU has a +13, both rank second in the conference.
Thrysoe ranks tied for fourth in the Sun Belt with 27 shots and 2.70 shots per game. Her five goals are tied for 10th in the conference and her .30 goals per game is also tied for 10th. Her two goals against Troy is tied for second for the highest scoring in-conference game leading to her being selected Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week on October 7th. She adds an All-Sun Belt Second Team honor to go along with her Sun Belt All-Tournament Team and Conference USA All-Freshman Team accolades.
Khrystiuk’s nine points in conference play ranks tied for 10th in the SBC and her five assists are tied for second. Her two assists against Georgia State in a 2-1 victory is tied for the second highest single-game assist total. In all games played, her .50 assists per game ranks third in the conference. This is Khrystiuks’s first All-Sun Belt Team selection.
Economopoulos ranks tied for eighth in the Sun Belt in assists in all games played (5) and her .31 assists per game ranks 10th. She has taken 24 shots in conference games which is tied for ninth in the SBC, her 10 points in conference play ranks tied for sixth, and her one point per game average is also tied for sixth. She has three goals in conference games and an average of .30 goals per game and both rank tied for 10th in the conference. Her four assists in SBC games rank fifth and she averages .40 assists per game, which is also good for fifth from the freshman.
Balcazar, ODU’s senior midfielder, has scored three goals in conference play that are tied for 10th in the conference and her .30 goals per game is also tied for 10th. She has one multiple-point performance which is tied for fifth in the SBC. Her creativity in the midfield is a key reason why ODU ranks first in the Sun Belt in total shots taken. Last season she was selected to the All-Sun Belt Second Team and was a VaSID All-State selection.
Goodrich, a junior goalkeeper from Alexandria, Va., played in eight games and averaged two saves per game, making 16 total. She has a .38 goals against average and an 84% save percentage. Her record this season was 5-0-3 with five clean sheets.
UP NEXT:
The Monarchs are the number two seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championships that begin on Monday, Nov. 3 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex. Old Dominion meets the seventh seed Georgia State Panthers for the second time in six days.
2025 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Awards
Player of the Year
Skylar Blaise, ULM (Sr., F, San Jose, Calif.)
Offensive Player of the Year
Ginny Lackey, James Madison (So., F, Manchester, England)
Midfielder of the Year
Miku Kurihara, Louisiana (Fr., M, Chigasaki, Japan)
Defensive Player of the Year
Ashlynn Kulha, Old Dominion (Jr., Holly Springs, N.C.)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Sierra Giorgio, South Alabama (R-Sr., GK, Vaughan, Ontario, Canada)
Newcomer of the Year
Salma Elhaimer, Louisiana (R-Jr., F, Tomball, Texas)
Freshman of the Year
Carson Glenn, Louisiana (R-Fr., F, Lewisville, Texas)
Coach of the Year
Will Roberts, ULM (3rd Season)
All-Sun Belt Conference First Team
F – Skylar Blaise, ULM (Sr., San Jose, Calif.)
F – Aaliyah Faddoul, Georgia State (Jr., Ontario, Canada)
F – Carson Glenn, Louisiana (R-Fr., Lewisville, Texas)
F – Ginny Lackey, James Madison (So., Manchester, England)
M – Helen Alormenu, Texas State (So., Accra, Ghana)
M – Andrea Iljkic, South Alabama (R-So., Littleton, Colo.)
M – Miku Kurihara, Louisiana (Fr., Chigasaki, Japan)
D – Libby Holmes, ULM (Jr. Shefford, England)
D – Ashlynn Kulha, Old Dominion (Jr., Holly Springs, N.C.)
D – Victoria Meza, Texas State (Jr., San Salvador, El Salvador)
GK – Sierra Giorgio, South Alabama (R-Sr., Vaughan, Ontario, Canada)
All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team
F – Bailey Fisher, Marshall (Sr., Hurricane, W.Va.)
F – Zamiyah Hill, South Alabama (R-Fr., Panama City, Fla.)
F – Mady Soumare, Texas State (Sr., Paris, France)
M – Marcella Alves, Marshall (Gr., Lagoa Santa, Brazil)
M – Jeanette Fieldsend, James Madison (R-So., Indiana Trail, N.C.)
M – Gry Boe Thrysoe, Old Dominion (Gr., Klarup, Denmark)
D – Fernanda Dantas, Marshall (So., Salvador, Brazil)
D – Eefje Botjer, Coastal Carolina (So., Schiffdorf, Germany)
D – Reese Gordon, Georgia State (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.)
D – Jordan Yang, James Madison (Sr., Clifton, Va.)
GK – Jen Handy, ULM (So., Barnsley, England)
All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team
F – Ashley Economopoulos, Old Dominion (Fr., Grantville, Va.)
F – Salma Elhaimer, Louisiana (R-Jr., Tomball, Texas)
F – Izzi Wood, App State (Gr., Hickory, N.C.)
M – Andrea Balcazar Algarin, Old Dominion (Sr., Mexico City, Mexico)
M – Melina Descary, South Alabama (Sr., Montréal, Canada)
M – Yuliia Khrystiuk, Old Dominion (Sr., Vinnytsia, Ukraine)
M – Margret Edda Bjarnadottir, ULM (Sr., Reykjavik, Iceland)
D – Amelia Campanella, South Alabama (Jr., Ottawa, Canada)
D – Kajsa Ekstrom, Marshall (Sr., Umea, Sweden)
D – Beth Strutton, ULM (So., Thornton-Cleveleys, England)
GK – Ellie Goodrich, Old Dominion (Jr., Alexandria, Va.)