LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - After one of the best seasons in program history, the honors continue to roll in for UNLV Women's Soccer as junior defender Chidera Akubuilo and senior forward Lily Sender were named to the NSCAA All-Pacific Region First Team, announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) on Tuesday. Sender and Akubuilo were the only two first team selections from a non-Pac-12 institution.

The awards are the first-ever NSCAA All-Region First Team selections for the program, while Akubuilo and Sender are the first Rebels to earn the honors since Caitlin Allen, Macy Jo Harrison and Jenn Wolfe were named to the second team after the conclusion of the 2012 season. Overall, they are the fifth and sixth All-Region selections in program history.

Sender, a senior from Honolulu, Hawaii, had a breakout final season, leading the team and the conference in goals and points after registering one goal and one assist in her previous three seasons combined. Sender registered eight assists, 15 goals and 38 points, setting new single-season individual records in the latter two categories. Sender's performance garnered Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year honors, becoming the third Rebel in team history to earn the award. Her stellar season was instrumental in leading the team to its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2006 as UNLV won the Mountain West regular season and conference tournament titles in the same season for the first time in program history. Her goals and points totals also ranked top-20 in the nation in 2016, helping the Rebels set new school records for most win (16), goals (51) and assists (50) in a single season.

Akubuilo, a junior from Torrance, Calif., was a stalwart on the back line in 2016, starting every game she played in and logging the second-most minutes on the team this season. Her leadership in directing the defense and ability to single-handedly thwart the opponents' offensive attacks led to Akubuilo being named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first player in program history to earn the award. The Rebels also utilized her 5'9 frame on corner kicks, resulting in two goals and one assist on the year despite playing in the back all season. The three-year defensive starter has 54 career games under her belt and will be counted on to lead the team in defending its title in 2017.

The official NSCAA All-Region release can be found here.

-UNLV-