USL Feature
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Creighton forward Ethan Finlay, who previously played for the Chicago Fire Premier, had a pair of goals as the Bluejays continued their strong start to the NCAA season with a 3-0 win against Providence, earning the senior forward the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week award.
Finlay, who leads the No.3-ranked Bluejays with four goals and three assists, was also named to the College Soccer News Team of the Week, highlighting another week in which USL PDL alumni put in standout performances for their college teams.
Considered the top senior prospect for the 2012 MLS SuperDraft by TopDrawerSoccer.com’s Joe Mauceri, Finlay had three goals and two assist for the Fire Premier in 2010.
ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE
Duke’s Andrew Wenger was named the ACC Player of the Week after having a hand in four of the Blue Devils’ five goals in a 5-2 victory against Clemson on Saturday night. Wenger, who played this summer for the Carolina Dynamo, was also named to the Soccer America Team of the Week and currently leads the Blue Devils with eight goals in seven games.
BIG TEN
Chicago Fire Premier player Chris Ritter took home Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors after the Northwestern junior had a pair of goals in the Wildcats’ two victories against UC-Davis and Xavier, handing the Musketeers their first defeat of the season.
BIG EAST
St. John’s goalkeeper Rafael Diaz was named the Big East Goalkeeper of the Week after posting a pair of shutouts against ranked opponents for the No.12 Red Storm. Diaz, who played for the Central Jersey Spartans this summer, has now recorded six consecutive shutouts after the Red Storm earned a 0-0 draw against Indiana before defeating Iona 2-0.
BIG WEST
UC-Riverside goalkeeper Cody Suppe was named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week after recording one of the top goalkeeping performances in school history in a 1-1 draw against San Jose State on Sunday. Suppe, who played for the PDL’s Southern California Seahorses this summer, recorded 11 saves against the Spartans, the third-highest total in a single game in Highlanders’ history.
COLONIAL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
Former Bradenton Academics forward Taylor Morgan took home the CAA Player of the Week award after scoring a pair of goals against ranked opponents for George Mason last week. Morgan, who had three goals and two assist in eight games for Bradenton in 2010, scored against No.10 Central Florida in a 1-1 draw, and then scored the game-winning goal against No.24 Cal-State Fullerton, handing the Titans their first loss of the season.
IVY LEAGUE
TJ Popolizio was named the Ivy League’s Co-Player of the Week after the Brown senior forward scored three goals on his way to being named MVP of the Gamecock Classic hosted by South Carolina. Popolizio, who played for the Western Mass Pioneers this summer, scored both goals as the Bears defeated the hosts 2-0 on Friday night.
He was joined as Co-Player of the Week by former Toronto Lynx standout Brad Rose, who had two goals and two assists in Yale’s 7-0 victory over Sacred Heart.
METRO ATLANTIC
Forest City London’s Carl Haworth has been named the MAAC Player of the Week after the Niagara senior had two goals and two assists in the Green Bay Soccer Classic. Haworth had 22 points in 14 games for FC London this summer in the PDL and has continued that form into the college season, where he leads the Purple Eagles with six goals and five assists in seven games.
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Shane Lyons was named the MAC Player of the Week after the Western Michigan junior forward had a pair of game-winning goals in the Broncos’ victories against Wright State and Valparaiso. Lyons, who spent the summer with the Des Moines Menace, now has five goals this fall, including three in his past three games.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
College of Charleston’s Andy Craven earned the Southern Conference Player of the Week award after the Chicago Fire Premier forward had a hand in all three of the Cougars’ goals in a 3-2 win against Denver University. Craven scored what proved to be the game-winning goal with 16 minutes to go, earning his second conference award this season.
SUMMIT LEAGUE
Konnor McNamara of Oakland (Mich.) University was named the Summit League’s Co-Defensive Player of the Week after the senior headed home the overtime game-winning goal for the Golden Grizzlies against Cincinnati. McNamara played for the Toronto Lynx this summer, earning USL PDL Team of the Week honors, and is also a former Canadian U20 international.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE
Portland Timbers U-23s forward Erik Hurtado won his second consecutive WCC Player of the Week award after the junior scored a goal and added an assist in Santa Clara’s 4-2 victory against then No.14 Cal on Friday night. Hurtado leads the WCC with 11 points in six games, with four goals and three assists.