W-League Feature
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
TAMPA, Fla. – A W-League duo was honored in the Big East Conference weekly awards, with Rachel Daly of the LA Strikers named Offensive Player of the Week and Dayton Dutch Lions goalkeeper Katie Markesbery named Goalkeeper of the Week, leading the way among current and former W-League players honored for their NCAA performances last week.
Daly, named to the 2013 W-League All-Western Conference Team as a defender, scored five goals for St. John’s, hitting the net twice in a 4-0 win against Central Connecticut and following that with a three-goal effort in a 4-0 win at Brown.
Markesbery did not allow a goal in a 1-0-1 week for Xavier. The junior helped the Musketeers defeat Evansville 1-0 and battle Eastern Kentucky to a scoreless draw on the road. She made five saves in both contests.
London Gryphons midfielder Jessie Bujouves was chosen as the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after the Indiana sophomore, who appeared in 12 matches for the Gryphons in 2013, tallied five points (two goals, one assist) in shutout wins against Eastern Michigan and Eastern Kentucky, scoring the game-winning goals in each contest.
The Big Ten also honored Nichelle Prince of the Toronto Lady Lynx as Freshman of the Week after the Ohio State forward scored three goals and added an assist in the Buckeyes’ 4-1 win against Northeastern. Prince led the Lady Lynx in scoring in 2013 with five goals in 10 games.
In what seems to be becoming a common occurrence, former Long Island Rough Rider Crystal Dunn was named the ACC Player of the Week as she scored in both of the Tar Heels’ wins against ranked foes in the 2013 Duke Nike Classic. Dunn, who missed the Heels’ game against Kennesaw State due to a call-up to the United States Women’s National Team, scored in the 79th minute to lead North Carolina to a 1-0 victory against UCLA on Sept. 6, and struck again in a 4-2 victory against West Virginia on Sept. 8.
Daly, Dunn, Bujouves and Ottawa Fury standout Taylor Uhl were all featured in the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week. Uhl scored the fourth goal in Stanford’s 4-0 victory against Loyola Marymount before capping off the weekend with a two-goal performance in a 3-0 defeat of Maryland on Sunday.
The W-League’s Northeastern Conference was well represented in the weekly Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference weekly honors, as New York Magic – F.A. Euro star Brittany Pfaff was named Offensive Player of the Week and former New Jersey Wildcat goalkeeper Ashley Lewis was selected as Defensive Player of the Week. Pfaff, a senior at Siena, tallied three goals in two matches for the Saints to claim Offensive Player honors for the second time this year. Pfaff scored twice, including the game-winner, in a 2-1 overtime victory against UMass-Lowell and added another goal 48 hours later at Stony Brook. Lewis, a senior at Monmouth, posted a pair of shutouts for the Hawks, who were 2-0 this past week and improved to 5-0 this season.
North Jersey Valkyries standout Gabriella Cuevas was chosen as American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week led the UConn defense to another strong weekend. The Huskies posted 1-0 victories against Maine and Syracuse to earn their third and fourth consecutive shutouts and rise to 4-2-0 overall. Cuevas and her backfield allowed only four shots on goal during the weekend and 10 total shots.