W-League Feature
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – There were plenty of W-League standouts who stepped to the forefront during the first week of NCAA women’s soccer action, but none more than University of Florida freshman Savannah Jordan.
Jordan, who led the Atlanta Silverbacks in scoring with eight goals and three assists and was named to the W-League All-League Team in 2013, opened her college career in amazing fashion with five goals in two games for the Gators.
Jordan started her career with a pair of goals in the opener vs. Florida Gulf Coast, and followed up with a hat-trick in a 3-1 win against Oregon State. In addition to being named SEC Freshman of the Week, Jordan was also tabbed as NSCAA and TopDrawerSoccer.com Player of the Week.
The W-League had a strong presence on the TopDrawerSoccer.com list, with former Toronto Lady Lynx goalkeeper Sabrina D’Angelo (South Carolina), a pair of Pali stars in Abby Dahlkemper (UCLA) and Katie Stengel (Wake Forest), and New Jersey Rangers midfielder Amanda Jones (UNC-Charlotte) also selected.
Former Long Island Rough Rider Crystal Dunn, the reigning MAC Hermann Trophy winner at North Carolina, was named ACC Co-Player of the Week after she scored three goals and led the Tar Heels to shutout wins against Santa Clara (2-0) and VCU (4-0). The senior from Rockville, N.Y., keyed an overall defensive effort that led to two clean sheets and only 10 total shots against the Tar Heels in the two games combined.
Colorado Rapids Women forward Kristen Hamilton gave W-League defenses fits all season en route to eight goals and a spot on the All-League Team in 2013, and she has continued her form with Denver University, earning Summit League Offensive Player of the Week honors. Hamilton, a senior, surpassed 100 career points with a pair of goals in a 3-0 win against Northern Colorado. She scored the game-winner in the 42nd minute and provided the Pioneers an insurance goal in the 54th minute of the match. She also added an assist on Francesca Garzelloni’s game-winner in overtime to defeat Colorado College.
Pali veteran Elizabeth Eddy, who helped the Blues capture the 2013 W-League title, was named Pac-12 Player of the Week after netting two goals in the Trojans’ 4-1 upset win against No. 11 San Diego State and making it a three-goal weekend with the final tally in a 4-2 victory against San Diego to ensure a 2-0 start for the Trojans.
The new American Athletic Conference announced its first weekly honors, with a pair of former W-Leaguers earning recognition. University of Central Florida defender Carleigh Williams, a 2012 member of VSI Tampa Bay, was named Defensive Player of the Week, while 2013 Laval Comets goalkeeper Maryse Bard-Martel (Memphis) was named Rookie of the Week after playing every minute in wins against Missouri and Samford.
A pair of St. John’s standouts captured Big East Conference accolades this week, led by LA Strikers forward Rachel Daly, who was named Offensive Player of the Week after she tallied three goals and two assists in a pair of victories. Daly, a sophomore forward from Harrogate, England, had a hat trick in the Red Storm’s 5-0 victory against Fordham and assisted on both goals in a 2-1 win vs. Delaware. Freshman St. John’s goalkeeper Diana Poulin, who backstopped the Long Island Rough Riders this summer, was named Goalkeeper of the Week after allowing only one goal in a two-victory debut weekend. Poulin played all 90 minutes in the win vs. Delaware and 75 minutes in the shutout against Fordham.
New York Magic – F.A. Euro star Brittany Pfaff of Siena was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Week after she led Siena with seven points as the Saints opened with wins against UMass and Binghamton. Pfaff scored two goals and assisted on the game-winner as the Saints defeated UMass 4-3, and added two more assists as Siena defeated the Bearcats 2-1. Pfaff’s Siena teammate Tara Sobierajski, a former New Jersey Ranger, was tabbed as Rookie of the Week as she tallied her first collegiate goal and added an assist for a three-point game against UMass.
Carolina Elite Cobras forward Krystyna Freda captured the Big South Conference’s first Attacking Player of the Week award for 2013 after she tallied the game-winner in a 1-0 win against Wofford. In the 83rd minute, Freda collected a loose ball near the penalty area and blasted a high shot over the Wofford keeper.
W-League alumni swept the Colonial Athletic Association honors as Washington Spirit Reserves standout Meghan Cox scored in each of her first two games with James Madison to earn Rookie of the Week honors, while Towson junior forward Emily Banes, formerly of the Long Island Rough Riders, was selected as Player of the Week after she scored two goals and assisted on a third in Towson’s 3-0 victory against Iona.
W-League veteran Emilie Fillion, who spent the past two seasons with the Dayton Dutch Lions after starting her career with the Laval Comets, was named the Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week as she had a hand in all of Wright State’s goals this past weekend. Fillion, an All-Southeastern Conference selection this past season with Dayton, scored a goal and assisted on the game-winner as the Raiders opened the season with a 2-1 double-overtime win at IPFW, and scored WSU’s lone goal in a 1-1 draw at Ohio.