WINONA, Minn. — Scoring goals against the Saint Mary's University women's soccer team was no easy task.
 
Just how stingy was the Cardinal defense? In 11 conference games, Saint Mary's allowed just 11 goals, and closed out 2023 allowing only 13 goals in 18 contests.
 
Dakota Leonard (Lincolnshire, Ill.) and Maya Wachter (Dubuque, Iowa) were among the main cogs in the Cardinals' well-oiled defensive machine.
 
And Tuesday afternoon, the Cardinal pair were rewarded for their season-long efforts, as Leonard was named All-MIAC, while Wachter was an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection.
 
Leonard started all 11 MIAC games, scoring one goal — the game-winner in a 1-0 win over Concordia on Sept. 30 — while joining Wachter, who was also in the Cardinal starting lineup in every conference game, in helping SMU boast a 1.00 goals-against-average.
 
The 2023 selections marked the second year in a row Leonard was recognized by the MIAC, having earned honorable-mention honors a year ago. Wachter, meanwhile, was an honorable-mention pick for the third consecutive season.
 
Ari Green of St. Catherine was named the MIAC Offensive Player of the Year, with Carleton's Piper Dean brining home Defensive Player of the Year honors. St. Olaf's Emily Johnson was tabbed MIAC Rookie of the Year, and Carleton's Jessica Mueller earned Caoch of theYEar accolades.