Canadian national team standout Christine Sinclair, a dominant force up front while leading Portland to the NCAA women’s soccer final four, has been selected the 2001 Freshman of the Year by Soccer America magazine. Forward-midfielder Leslie Osborne and defender Jessica Ballweg, critical components of NCAA champion Santa Clara’s success, also were selected to Soccer America‘s 11-woman All-Freshman Team. Others honored are Notre Dame defender Candace Chapman, Tennessee midfielder Keeley Dowling, Virginia forward Lindsay Gusick, Texas A&M forward Linsey Johnson, Rutgers midfielder Carli Lloyd, North Carolina midfielder Sara Randolph, Auburn goalkeeper Megan Rivera and Texas forward Kelly Wilson. Sinclair, who had scored 20 goals in 24 matches for Canada’s national team before pulling on a Portland jersey, was the No. 3 scorer in NCAA Division I with 23 goals and eight assists. Nearly half her total pulled the Pilots even or ahead, and a late surge — 16 goals in the final 12 games — carried them into the College Cup semifinals. Sinclair, the only freshman among Soccer America‘s College Women’s MVPs, is the second Portland star selected Freshman of the Year. Tiffeny Milbrett was honored in 1990. Former Pilots men’s star Conor Casey, now playing in Germany, was selected men’s Freshman of the Year in 1999. Previous women’s Freshmen of the Year include Kristine Lilly, Tisha Venturini, Cindy Parlow, Anne Makinen and Christie Welsh. Welsh, a Penn State striker, was one of Soccer America‘s 2001 MVPs. Clemson’s Lindsay Browne was honored last year. Soccer America will announce its men’s Freshman of the Year and All-Freshman team on Thursday, and the men’s and women’s selections are featured in the magazine’s Feb. 4 issue. Soccer America‘s College Women’s All-Freshmen Team: JESSICA BALLWEG (Santa Clara) Defender The right back, a U.S. U-19 defender, set up the decisive goals in the Broncos’ quarterfinal, semifinal and championship-game victories. She had four goals and six assists, with strikes against Wake Forest, Stanford and Portland, and started 25 games in a defensive unit that shut out 14 opponents and surrendered fewer than five shots per game. CANDACE CHAPMAN (Notre Dame) Defender The speedy Canadian national-teamer was moved from forward to an ailing back line, solidifying the Fighting Irish’s defense for their Big East Conference title run. She started 21 matches and was Notre Dame’s top defensive scorer, with three goals and two assists. KEELEY DOWLING (Tennessee) Midfielder The U.S. U-19 captain, a tall midfielder with a 29-inch vertical jump, was the top rookie defensive midfielder in the country and the rising Lady Vols’ No. 2 scorer, with nine goals and five assists. A defender with the U.S. U-19s, Dowling was NCAA debutant Tennessee’s engine, expert at shutting off opposing attacks, dominant in the air and a talented creator. LINDSAY GUSICK (Virginia) Forward The U.S. U-19 forward needed six games to earn a starting role in the Cavaliers’ freshman-heavy lineup, then scored 17 goals — with three assists — in the next 17 games as Virginia romped into the NCAA quarterfinals. Seven of her strikes arrived in the first 15 minutes, seven were gamewinners, four came during the playoffs, and she hit hat tricks against Liberty and Cincinnati. LINSEY JOHNSON (Texas A&M) Forward The speedy Aggie striker, a vibrant counterpart to thoughtful senior Nicky Thrasher, netted 17 goals with five assists as A&M reached the NCAA quarterfinals. A virtual unknown from West Texas, Johnson scored 10 goals in her final 12 games, including the lone strike in the Aggies’ Big 12 Conference title-game triumph over Texas, and was selected the Big 12 Tournament MVP. CARLI LLOYD (Rutgers) Midfielder The Big East Conference’s best rookie broke Rutgers’ single-season scoring record, with 15 goals and seven assists, and topped the Big East scoring chart while leading the Scarlet Knights to the third round of the NCAA tournament. Lloyd scored three gamewinners and was most productive at season’s start (6 goals-1 assist in first six games) and finish (6-3 in last seven). LESLIE OSBORNE (Santa Clara) Forward/midfielder The Broncos’ versatile attacker, a defender with the U.S. U-19 team, scored 13 goals with 17 assists, tallied in the NCAA semifinal and assisting on the lone goal in the title-game win over North Carolina, and was selected to the College Cup all-star team. Osborne’s primary contributions are more difficult to quantify: Possessing expert touch, a superb sense of space, strength in the air and the ability to hold the ball and dissect defenses with a pass, she was a critical component of the Broncos’ championship run. SARA RANDOLPH (North Carolina) Midfielder The U.S. U-19 midfielder stepped right into Carolina’s lineup and tore up foes with her runs on the right flank. Strong defensively and with extremely quick feet, Randolph’s ability to tie up defenders and create opportunities was key in the Tar Heels’ unbeaten regular season and march to the NCAA final. She started 21 of 25 games, scored a pair of goals with four assists — one in the College Cup semifinals — and was Carolina’s top performer at the final four, earning College Cup all-star recognition. MEGAN RIVERA (Auburn) Goalkeeper The U.S. U-19 goalkeeper was an All-Southeastern Conference first-teamer after leading the Tigers to a share of the SEC Western Division title, a spot in the SEC tournament final, and a berth in the NCAA playoffs. Rivera made 102 saves in 20 games, earning five and a half shutouts and notching a 1.02 goals-against average. She made nine saves in a 1-0 shutout of Virginia, eight in a 2-1 upset of West Virginia, eight in an impressive 2-0 loss to North Carolina and six in a tight 2-1 loss to Florida in the SEC title game. CHRISTINE SINCLAIR (Portland) Forward The Canadian national team star, a big striker with outstanding skill and penalty-area instincts, shattered Portland’s freshman scoring records with 23 goals and eight assists, leading the Pilots — with playmaker Erin Misaki at less than full strength for much of the season — into the NCAA final four. She netted nine gamewinners, including late strikes against Florida State, Texas A&M, BYU and Loyola Marymount. KELLY WILSON (Texas) Forward The U.S. U-19 standout destroyed defenses before injury slowed her down the final third of the season, scoring 13 goals and 12 assists to lead the freshman-heavy Longhorns to their first Big 12 Conference regular-season title and first NCAA tournament berth. Wilson, the Big 12 rookie of the year, had eight goals and seven assists through her first 10 games, 10 goals and 11 assists through her first 14, and finished with school single-season records for goals and points. FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Christine Sinclair (Portland) SA FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR (Since 1988) Women 1988 — Heather Taggart (Wisconsin) 1989 — Kristine Lilly (North Carolina) 1990 — Tiffeny Milbrett (Portland) 1991 — Tisha Venturini (North Carolina) 1992 — Thori Staples (North Carolina State) 1993 — Cindy Daws (Notre Dame) 1994 — Staci Wilson (North Carolina) 1995 — Cindy Parlow (North Carolina) 1996 — Laurie Schwoy (North Carolina) 1997 — Anne Makinen (Notre Dame) 1998 — Mary-Frances Monroe (Connecticut) 1999 — Christie Welsh (Penn State) 2000 — Lindsay Browne (Clemson) 2001 — Christine Sinclair (Portland) Men 1988 — Shaka Hislop (Howard) 1989 — Ruben Tufino (South Carolina) 1990 — Brad Friedel (UCLA) 1991 — Claudio Reyna (Virginia) 1992 — Guillermo Jara (San Diego) 1993 — Andre Paris (Princeton) 1994 — Nick Bone (Boston University) 1995 — Jay Heaps (Duke) 1996 — Wojtek Krakowiak (St. John’s) 1997 — Nick Garcia (Indiana) 1998 — Taylor Twellman (Maryland) 1999 — Conor Casey (Portland) 2000 — Alecko Eskandarian (Virginia) 2001 — To be announced Thursday