Metro East Sun

Caroline Hoefert said her memories of soccer include looking forward to snacks after games in Gordon Moore Park in Alton.

Hoefert just got another treat – the Most Outstanding Player (MOP) Award.

Hoefert, a Marquette Catholic graduate and junior forward for Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, recently was named this year's Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament MOP, as she led the Cougars back to the NCAA Division I Tournament, according to siuecougars.com.

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“Receiving the MVP award after the conference win was the most remarkable, rewarding, and memorable feeling I have ever had in regard to soccer play,” Hoefert told the Metro East Sun.

Hoefert's strong conference-tournament run came after a regular season in which she was one of the Cougars' biggest offensive threats.

The interest in soccer began at age 4 for Hoefert, who loved the atmosphere at her older sister's tournaments, she said. That began her march to a great high school career, one filled with all-sectional and all-conference honors.

Hoefert said her interest in SIUE as a landing spot for college started during her junior year, when she was intrigued by the school's growing soccer team and strong nursing program. However, she said her first year of college soccer, in 2014, was difficult for her, even with the Cougars hitting a high point.

“Training with the team the summer before my freshman year was one of the most challenging things I have ever been through,” she said. “Along with college soccer being more challenging, it is also much more rewarding. My freshman year was the first OVC title the team has ever achieved.”

Hoefert appeared in 19 games her freshman season, including three starts, and scored two goals. Last season, she scored three goals in 19 games, which included 14 starts.

Hoefert broke through as a full-time starter this season and responded by tying for the team lead in goals with five and assists with six in 22 games. She led the squad in shots, with 45.

“I have grown since last year as well in terms of my mental toughness and my confidence -- some things necessary to obtain in collegiate athletics,” she said.

SIUE entered the OVC Tournament as the No. 4 seed, but ran the table, including a 1-0 win over No. 2 Eastern Kentucky on Nov. 6 in Murray, Kentucky. Hoefert had two assists in the semifinals en route to her MOP honor.

“The postseason run has been so rewarding,” she said. “We play tough teams at the beginning of our season to prepare us for conference play. While those games may not end in wins, we still get a lot out of them. After a very tough preseason and season, hours of running, watching film on opponents and applying what we learn in practice, we're getting much reward out of everything we have been working for.”

In their first NCAA Tournament game, the Cougars beat No. 11 Notre Dame on penalty kicks Nov. 11 at Notre Dame. The win was just the second-ever tournament win by an OVC team.

SIUE is scheduled to play Northwestern on Friday in a second-round game in Durham, North Carolina.