USL Feature
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Andrew Wenger was already considered the top underclassman prospect for the 2012 Major League Soccer SuperDraft before the season began, but the performances he’s continued to produce for Duke have burnished that reputation solidly.
The junior, who played for the Carolina Dynamo this summer, was named the College Soccer News Player of the Week on Monday after scoring four goals last week as the No.22 Blue Devils moved to 3-1-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, leading the USL PDL alumni that earned national and conference honors this week. After his hat trick against in-state rival North Carolina State on Saturday night, Wenger has scored 15 goals this season to lead Division I.
Wenger was also honored as the ACC Player of the Week, while being named to the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week, which named Old Dominion and Virginia Beach Piranhas player Yannick Smith as its player of the week. Smith had five goals in two games, including a hat trick against UNC-Wilmington, and was also named the Colonial Athletic Association Offensive Player of the Week for his performances.
BIG EAST
Former Chicago Fire Premier defender Austin Berry was named the Big East Defender of the Week after helping No.10 Louisville earn a draw against Syracuse and take a 3-2 overtime victory against Indiana. The Cardinals rallied past the Hoosiers as Berry recorded an assist on the game-tying goal before limiting Indiana to just one shot in overtime.
Berry was joined in being honored this week by Syracuse goalkeeper Phil Boerger, who made seven saves against Louisville to record a shutout and take Goalkeeper of the Week honors. The senior goalkeeper played for the Des Moines Menace in the PDL this summer.
CONFERENCE USA
SMU’s Arthur Ivo had a goal and two assists as the Mustangs won twice last week, earning the former DFW Tornado the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week award for the third time in his career. Ivo had a pair of assists as SMU rallied to beat Tulsa 2-1 before scoring the only goal of the game against Marshall. The senior leads the team with 13 points in 11 games this season.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE
Drake’s Jordan Kadlec recorded a six-save shutout last week to earn the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week award as the Bulldogs defeated Bradley 1-0. Kadlec, who played this summer for the Des Moines Menace, was the key as the Bulldogs opened their MVC schedule with a victory against the offensively potent Braves.
ATLANTIC SUN CONFERENCE
FC Jax Destroyers goalkeeper Andreas Schnabl and forward Darko Karamatic were both honored by the Atlantic Sun Conference this week, with Schnabl taking the Defensive Player of the Week award after leading Stetson to an overtime victory against Mercer on Sunday evening. The shutout was Schnabl’s eighth of his career with the Hatters.
Karamatic played a key role in Jacksonville University’s pair of victories last week against conference rivals USC-Upstate and East Tennessee State. The senior opened the scoring against USC-Upstate, helping the Dolphins to a 3-0 victory, before tying the game against ETSU as Jacksonville rallied for a 2-1 victory.
BIG WEST
UC Santa Barbara forward Luis Silva scored twice, including the game-winner, as the Gauchos upset No.3 Akron 3-2 in overtime last week, earning the Orange County Blue Star standout Big West Offensive Player of the Week honors. Silva, a senior, was also named to the College Soccer News and TopDrawerSoccer.com Teams of the Week and currently leads the Gauchos with 22 points in 12 games, including nine goals.
HORIZON LEAGUE
Cleveland State forward Aaron Adkins was named the Horlzon League Player of the Week after the junior scored his first hat trick for the Vikings in a 4-0 victory against Loyola. Adkins, who played for the Akron Summit Assault this summer, is now tied for fourth in the Horizon League with five goals this season.
IVY LEAGUE
Brown forward TJ Popolizio was named the Ivy League Player of the Week after the Western Mass Pioneers standout led the Bears to a 1-0-1 record for the week that saw them take a 3-2 victory against conference rival Princeton. Popolizio had a pair of goals in the victory, sending the game to overtime with a goal nine minutes from full time before netting the game-winner just more than a minute into the extra session.
METRO ATLANTIC
Former West Virginia Chaos forward Jack Burridge had two goals and three assists to earn the MAAC Offensive Player of the Week award as Fairfield went undefeated this week. Burridge had a pair of assists as the Stags took a 2-1 victory against Canisius before scoring the game-tying goal in a 3-3 draw against Niagara.
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
Former Kansas City Brass forward Coleton Henning was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week after the junior had a pair of goals for Furman last week. Henning opened the scoring for the Paladins in their 3-1 victory against Georgia Southern before scoring the game-tying goal in a 2-2 draw against the College of Charleston.
WEST COAST CONFERENCE
University of San Francisco goalkeeper Brendan Roslund was named the WCC Player of the Week after the Des Moines Menace player recorded a pair of shutouts to keep the Dons undefeated in conference play at 4-0-2. Roslund made three saves as USF defeated Santa Clara last Wednesday and another eight in a 0-0 draw against St. Mary’s later in the week. The award is Roslund’s second of the season.