DENVER - CSU Bakersfield's Louis Lapouge and Air Force's John Wendt have been named Western Athletic Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for Oct. 31 - Nov. 6.
Lapouge, a junior forward from Paris, France (Claude Berard HS/Sports Management School), scored the game-winning goal in the ‘Runners 1-0 win over Houston Baptist on Saturday. It was his second goal of the season and clinched a WAC tournament berth for CSU Bakersfield, who will take on Air Force in Thursday's opening round.
Wendt, a junior goalkeeper from Sylvania, Ohio (Northview HS), made six saves to hand Seattle U its first WAC loss of the season with his fourth shutout of the year. Four of the saves came in the second half as the Redhawks fired off 10 shots but the netminder used his athleticism to keep the ball out of the net and keep SU scoreless for just the second time this season.
Other offensive nominees: Air Force's Trey Pujats score the game-winning goal in the Falcons' 1-0 win over Seattle U … UIW's Ben Conway scored twice in his final collegiate game to lead the Cardinals to 2-2 draw with regular-season champion Utah Valley … UNLV's Oscar Velazquez scored two goals as the Rebels earned a 3-1 win over visiting UMKC … UT Rio Grande Valley's Isidro Martinez scored the game-tying goal less than a minute after San José State took the lead as the Vaqueros went on to earn a 2-1 win to clinch their first trip the WAC men's soccer tournament … Utah Valley's Paul Hoffmeister scored the equalizer in a 2-2 draw at UIW as the Wolverines won their first-ever WAC men's soccer title.
Other defensive nominees: CSU Bakersfield's Nicolas Clever recorded his 14th career shutout in a 1-0 win over Houston Baptist that clinched a tournament spot for the ‘Runners … UIW's Jorge Guzman had a career-high 12 saves as the Cardinals earned a 2-2 draw with Utah Valley … UT Rio Grande Valley's Esa Aalto made seven saves to help the Vaqueros earn the postseason-clinching 2-1 win at San José State … Utah Valley's Mitch Jensen made two saves in a 2-2 draw at UIW on Saturday night.