Michigan State University Athletics
Kozal, White Named Academic All-District
11/11/2021 1:19:00 PM | Women's Soccer
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District™ Soccer Teams were released on Thursday afternoon, recognizing the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom.
The Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Senior goalkeeper Lauren Kozal and senior defender Samantha White were both named to the First Team for NCAA Division I District 5. Kozal maintained a 3.84 GPA as a Finance major this fall, while White held a 3.73 in her Supply Chain Management degree. Both student-athletes excelled in the classroom while also playing key roles on the soccer team this season.
At the conclusion of the regular season in October, it was announced that Kozal was the Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year. She also recieved First Team accolades. White was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team as a defender.
Kozal, a native of Ada, finished the regular season with her 48th career start, making the start for the Spartans in the net for three-straight seasons. Kozal has had a momentous career for the Spartans and only continues to improve. This season, she ranked second in the Big Ten with a goals against average of .0495, a mark which is also on track to be among single-season and career records for a Spartan goalkeeper. She totaled 1,590 minutes in goal and has collected 75 saves, holding the highest save percentage in the Big Ten (.862). Her seven regular-season shutouts was the third-most in the conference, and she was second in saves per game with 4.41,
White, a native of McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, has been a guiding force for the Spartan defense throughout her career. She started every game of her Green & White career, a current total of 66 games. White totaled 1,452 minutes on the field this regular season, the most minutes of any field player. She was part of a Spartan backfield that allowed just 12 goals to score from opponents in the regular season, the third-least in the league and 29th in the NCAA.
The pair are the first two MSU women's soccer players to receive this honor since Gabrielle Gauruder in 2015.
