Bensky and Perlman honored by Jewish Sports Review
Natalie Bensky (left) and Ashley Perlman.
1/18/2010 10:42:40 AM
LOS ANGELES – After a stellar postseason run in 2009, including the first NCAA Championship Tournament victory in the history of the program, the Chico State women’s soccer team has received two more individual honors. Senior goalkeeper Natalie Bensky and junior forward Ashley Perlman were both selected as Jewish All-Americans by the Jewish Sports Review in its January/February 2010 edition.
Bensky, the Wildcat mainstay in the net, was selected to the NCAA Division II & III First Team – joined by fellow keepers Leah Tepperman from Montclair State and Clara Jaques from Washington (MO).
A native of Willow Creek, Bensky helped lead Chico State to an 8-5-8 record in 2009, and had strong displays in the postseason – including a shutout against reigning national champion Seattle Pacific. She finished her career with the second lowest career goals-against average (GAA) in Chico State history and her 2009 GAA of 0.72 was the fourth lowest in school history.
Perlman, a junior from Sebastopol, was named as an Honorable Mention All-American in the Review after her exceptional 2009 campaign. She was the co-team leader in goals along with Ali Sward (7) and had the highest shooting percentage on the squad, burying 32 percent of her shots into the back of the net.