USC Soccer's Croix Bethune, Brooklyn Courtnall and Simone Jackson Earn TDS Best XI Honors
LOS ANGELES – Top Drawer Soccer released its annual Best XI teams this week and USC's Croix Bethune earned first team honors while Brooklyn Courtnall and Simone Jackson were named to the Freshman second team.
The Top Drawer Soccer Best XI teams are equivalent to All-American honors with at least one USC player earning the national recognition each of the last five seasons. It is the first time since 2010 that USC has had multiple players named to the Freshman Best XI team.
Croix Bethune – Best XI first team
Bethune, who is now a consensus first-team All-American after earning United Soccer Coaches first-team honors earlier this month, has racked up the awards this season, also being named the Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year and a semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy. She posted one of the best campaigns in USC history this year, leading the Trojans in every major offensive category with 16 goals, 10 assists and 42 total points. Her 16 goals are the third most ever scored in a season by a USC player and were the seventh most in the country this season. Bethune's 42 total points are the fourth best total in USC history and fourth most in the nation this year, while her 10 assists led the Pac-12 and were 25th in the NCAA.
Bethune had four multi-goal games on the year, including an all-time great performance in USC's NCAA Tournament opener when she scored three goals and posted two assists in a 6-0 win over Grand Canyon. She also had two goals and one assist against Stanford, leading USC to a comeback win in which she scored the winner in overtime. Bethune is the seventh first-team All-American in USC history.
Brooklyn Courtnall – Freshman Best XI second team
Courtnall served as the anchor of the USC defense this year, starting all 18 games at center back for the Trojans. She helped lead USC to seven shutouts on the regular season and led all Trojan field players in minutes played with 1,807. She was one of just four USC players to start all 18 games and the only freshman to do so. Courtnall also had an assist on the year, providing a helper in the Trojans' 4-0 win over CSUN. She was named to the All-Pac-12 third team and Pac-12 All-Freshman team as well.
Simone Jackson – Freshman Best XI second team
Jackson, who also was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and Pac-12 All-Freshman team, was one of the Trojans' most dangerous attacking threats this season. The freshman forward was third on the team with 18 total points, scoring five goals and posting eight assists (fifth in the conference). She appeared in all 20 games for USC this year, but really came on strong late, making eight starts down the stretch and posting all but one goal and one assist after the start of Pac-12 play. Jackson had a two assist game against Utah and posted a goal and assist against then-No. 9 Stanford. She had one goal and two assists in the Trojans' two postseason games.