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WAC WOMEN'S SOCCER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK ANNOUNCED
CSU Bakersfield's Sophie Freeman and Seattle U's Stephanie Spiekerman have been named Western Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for the week of Oct. 17-23.
Freeman, a freshman midfielder from Bakersfield, Calif. (Garces Memorial HS), scored four goals in two wins on the weekend as CSUB moved into second place in the WAC standings. Freeman scored the game-winning goal with just 47 seconds remaining to break a scoreless draw in the win over UTRGV on Friday. The goal, which came on her birthday, was a blast from 25-yards out, helping CSUB earn its seventh victory of the season, setting the school DI record for wins in a season. On Sunday, Freeman recorded a hat trick in a 5-2 victory over NM State, the seventh in DI history for the ‘Runners and 15th all-time. She now leads the WAC with five goals and 10 points during conference play.
Spiekerman, a junior defender from Seattle, Wash. (Bishop Blanchette HS), was the anchor of a Seattle U defense that allowed just one goal during a 2-0 weekend, allowing the Redhawks to claim their fourth-straight WAC regular season championship. The junior centerback played all 90 minutes on Thursday as SU defeated UMKC, 3-1. She was a key factor in the Roos managing just six total shots in the match. On Saturday, Spiekerman led Seattle U to its WAC-leading eighth shutout of the season, finishing play on Championship Field with a 3-0 shutout of Chicago State. The Redhawks are currently riding a seven-game win streak, a stretch that has included four shutouts. This is Spiekerman's third WAC Player of the Week honor this season.
Other offensive nominees included: Grand Canyon junior forward Milla Benedetti had a goal and an assist in the Lopes win over NM State … Seattle U senior midfielder Natasha Howe scored two goals and added an assist as the Redhawks went undefeated on the weekend in two matches … UTRGV freshman forward Sarah Bonney scored her WAC-leading 11th goal of the season on a double-overtime penalty kick as UTRGV defeated Grand Canyon on Sunday … Utah Valley freshman forward Breanna DeWaal scored three goals and added an assist in two matches as the Wolverines picked up two WAC wins on the week.
Other defensive nominees included: CSUB sophomore goalkeeper Jen Padilla earned two wins on the weekend, including a seven save shutout of UTRGV on Friday … Grand Canyon junior defender Fiona Samodurov scored a goal and played a key role for the GCU backline that shutout NM State on Friday … UTRGV freshman goalkeeper Kinga Szemik picked up a win with a double-overtime shutout of Grand Canyon, a match that saw the Vaqueros shorthanded for over 90 minutes of action … Utah Valley senior defender Kalli Suesue anchored the Wolverines to two wins on the weekend, including a shutout victory over Chicago State on Thursday.
SEATTLE U REIGNS AGAIN
Seattle U clinched its fourth-straight WAC regular season title with a 3-0 victory over Chicago State on Saturday. The Redhawks have won three of their titles outright and tied UMKC for the conference crown in 2014.
UP IN THE AIR
First and eighth place are set in stone, but the final weekend of the season could provide plenty of drama for the teams in the middle as they battle for position in the standings and seeding in the 2016 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament. Grand Canyon is not eligible for the tournament due to NCAA rules regarding their transition, but the Lopes do figure into the final standings and any tiebreakers. Below are the seeding scenarios for eligible team in order of current position in the WAC standings.
Seattle U: Has clinched regular season title and No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament.
CSU Bakersfield: Has tiebreaker over UVU due to head-to-head win.
-No. 2 seed with a win/tie/loss vs. GCU AND a UVU loss/tie vs. SU.
-No. 3 seed with a loss to GCU AND a UVU win vs. SU.
Utah Valley: Has tiebreaker over UMKC due to head-to-head win. In three-way tiebreaker, has middle record vs. GCU and UMKC (1-1-0).
-No. 2 seed with a win vs. SU AND a CSUB loss to GCU.
-No. 3 seed with a win/tie vs. SU AND a CSUB win/tie vs. GCU.
-No. 3 seed with a loss vs. SU AND a UMKC loss/tie vs. CSU.
-No. 4 seed with a loss vs. SU AND a UMKC win vs. CSU.
UMKC: Has tiebreaker over UTRGV due to head-to-head win. Has tiebreaker over GCU due victory over CSUB. In three-way tiebreaker, has worse record vs. GCU and UVU (0-1-1). Tied NM State, but has tiebreaker due to better result vs. second place team (either GCU or CSUB).
-No. 3 seed with a win vs. CSU AND a UVU loss vs. SU.
-No. 4 seed with a tie vs. CSU.
-No. 4 seed with a loss vs. CSU AND an NM State loss/tie vs. UTRGV.
-No. 4 seed with a loss vs. CSU AND an NM State win vs. UTRGV AND a CSUB win/tie vs. GCU.
-No. 5 seed with a loss to CSU AND a UTRGV win vs. NM State.
UTRGV: Loses tiebreaker to UMKC due to head-to-head loss.
-No. 4 seed with a win vs. NM State AND a UMKC loss to CSU.
-No. 5 seed with a win/tie vs. NM State.
-No. 6 seed with a loss to NM State.
NM State:
-No. 5 seed with a win vs. UTRGV.
-No. 6 seed with a loss/tie vs. UTRGV.
Chicago State:
Eliminated from tournament.
SEATTLE U UP TO FIFTH, UTAH VALLEY NINTH IN NSCAA WEST REGION
Seattle U and Utah Valley both jumped up in the top 10 of the NSCAA West Region rankings this week. SU made a big leap to at No. 5, the highest position of the year for a WAC team, on the strength of a 6-0 start in WAC play. The Wolverines checked in at No. 9 after three-straight weeks at No. 10 and have been in the top 10 all but two weeks this season. SU and UVU will close out the regular season against each other Friday night in Orem, Utah. You can watch that match live on the WAC Digital Network at 7 p.m. MT.
NOT SO SUDDEN DEATH
UMKC refuses to lose in extra time, as the Roos have either won or tied 20-straight matches that went to overtime. UMKC extended the streak with a 0-0 tie vs. Grand Canyon on Oct. 14. The last time UMKC lost in overtime was a 2-1 defeat at Missouri State on Sept. 16, 2011.
GETTING OFFENSIVE
UTRGV is second in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (9.18) and is eighth in the nation in shots per game (18.53).
COMING TO YOU LIVE
The WAC Digital Network will broadcast 27 regular season matches and all five matches of the 2016 WAC Women's Soccer Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
There will be three matches on the WDN this weekend, all with tournament implications.
October 28 (Friday)
*Seattle U at Utah Valley, 7 p.m. MT
October 29 (Saturday)
*Chicago State at UMKC, 11 a.m. CT
*Grand Canyon at CSU Bakersfield, 7 p.m. PT
Tune in to catch the matches live at www.WACSports.com/live.