Cariel Ellis named NJCAA All-American
RIDGELAND --- Accolades continued coming in Thursday for the Holmes Community College women's soccer team as freshman forward Cariel Ellis of Madison became the first Holmes women's soccer player to be named to the 2019 NJCAA Division I Women's Soccer All-America Team.
The Holmes Community College Lady Bulldogs captured their first-ever MACJC State Championship and first-ever Region XXIII Championship during the 2019 season finishing 18-3 overall. Holmes knocked off Itawamba in the state title match, 3-1, and LSU-Eunice, 1-0, in the region title match. The Lady Bulldogs also made their first appearance in a NJCAA District Championship game but fell to Tyler Junior College. Holmes also won their fourth straight North Division Championship during the regular season.
Ellis, who prepped at Madison Central, dominated the MACJC this season. Of the 21 matches played, she scored multiple goals in 16 of those. For the season, Ellis finished third in the NJCAA with 48 goals including five game winners. She was 20th in assists in the NJCAA with 15 and was third in points with 111 and third in shots with 155.
"Cariel is first class both on the field and off," Associate Head Coach Wesley Noble said. "She is so deserving of this award. The amount of work she puts into the game on her own time is something that really sets her apart. When you mix work ethic and the amount of talent she has it results in something special and that's what she is. This is only the beginning for her, her ceiling is so high.
"I couldn't be any more proud of her," he added. "For her to be the first All American in program history is a huge accomplishment. She has certainly left her footprint on this program."
"Cariel has done a fantastic job leaving her mark on the history of our program," Head Coach Matt Convertino said. "She has tremendous natural athletic attributes but that is just part of the reason she was successful this season. She also has an outstanding work ethic to develop her athletic and technical abilities as well as a great competitive spirit which drives her to be a better player on a daily basis. She is very deserving of All-American selection."