DENVER — Incarnate Word’s Noah Keats and UNLV’s Ryan Harding have been named the Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for September 29-October 5.
Keats, a junior midfielder from Exeter, England (The King’s School), played in two matches for the Cardinals last week and scored three goals and had one assist. He opened the week with a goal against Oral Roberts then assisted on the game-winner and scored two more goals in UIW’s 3-0 win over Houston Baptist in the WAC opener for both schools. He finished the week with seven points and had 10 shots in the two matches.
Harding, a senior goalkeeper from Troutdale, Ore. (Central Catholic HS), earned his fifth shutout of the season, stopping all four of Grand Canyon’s shots on goal to lead UNLV to a 3-0 victory on Sunday afternoon. The game was scoreless through the first 60 minutes before the Rebels scored all three of their goals in a five-minute explosion. UNLV earned its seventh win of the season, matching last year’s total.
Other offensive nominees included: freshman forward Julian Zamora, Bakersfield; senior midfielder Julian Portugal, UNLV; junior forward Hamza Haddadi, Seattle U; and freshman forward Karson Payton, Utah Valley.
Defensive nominees included: sophomore defender A.J. Esparza, Air Force; junior defender Andrew Grossman, Incarnate Word; sophomore defender Shane Mahvi, Seattle U; and sophomore midfielder Skyler Milne, Utah Valley.
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