United Athletic Conference

UT Rio Grande Valley's Anna Torslov and Kansas City's Erin Roth were selected as the Western Athletic Conference Women's Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week for Sept. 23-30, respectively.

 

Torslov, a freshman midfielder from Copenhagen, Denmark, finished the weekend with two goals and an assist in just two games. Torslov recorded an assist and the first goal of her career in a win over Texas Lutheran as she finished the match with three points. Her coming-out party continued when Torslov scored her second career goal three days later in the Vaqueros 4-1 victory over Southern Illinois.

 

Roth, a senior goalkeeper from Eureka, Mo., notched her fourth shutout of the season as she grabbed four saves in a win over South Dakota. Roth is currently second in the league in goals-against (4) and goals-against average (0.55), trailing only her teammate Afton Fennewald. Roth has started the last four games as Fennewald has yet to return from an injury.

 

Other offensive nominees: California Baptist's Rola Badawiya collected her second straight player of the week nomination as she netted the game-winner in extra time against Pacific... Jaycee Iranshad of Grand Canyon led the Lopes offense with five shots and one shot on goal against Omaha... Rylan Childers of Kansas City scored a header against South Dakota as she continues to lead the conference in goals (7), assists (6) and points (20)... New Mexico State's Hannah Leitner netted her first career goal against South Dakota... Utah Valley's Heather Stainbrook scored her first goal of the season as the Wolverines bested North Dakota State 3-2.

 

Other defensive nominees: Grand Canyon's Hannah Edwards recorded three shots with two on goal on the road against Omaha...Utah Valley's Megan Sullivan recorded an assist while also anchoring the UVU defense in a 3-2 victory over North Dakota State... Maile Lunardi of UT Rio Grande Valley held a 0.00 goals-against average in 90 minutes on the weekend.

 

Currently, UT Rio Grande Valley leads the league in shots taken (171). Conference leader Kansas City remains on top of the league in goals (19), points (52) and assists (14). As conference play comes to an end, Chicago State leads the league in saves (79). Kansas City has allowed the fewest goals (6) and continues to lead the league in goals-against average (.520).

 

Individually, Kansas City's Rylan Childers leads the league in every major offensive category as she paces the league in shots (37), goals (7), points (20) and assists (6). With 71 saves in eight games, Dmitri Fong of NM State leads the conference in saves.

 

After 95 games and six weeks of non-conference play, we have reached the first week of WAC matchups. There are eight conference games on the slate this weekend, highlighted by two preseason favorites facing off in Kansas City. Reigning WAC regular-season champion Kansas City will host last year's WAC tournament champion Seattle U on Sunday, October 6, at 1 p.m. CT. All eight matches will be shown on the WAC Digital Network. 

 

Seattle U's head coach Julie Woodward is approaching her 300th career victory as a head coach. The long-time Seattle U head coach currently sits at 298 wins. The Redhawks will have an opportunity to place Woodward among an elite group of coaches as they take on Chicago State and Kansas City this weekend.

 

Woodward is in her 23rd season at the helm of the Redhawk women's soccer program. She has led SU to four WAC regular-season titles, four WAC Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013.

 

Through September 29, Kansas City's sophomore forward Rylan Childers ranks among the top-50 in six different major offensive categories. She is among the nation's best in total goals (7), game-winning goals (3), assists per game (0.55), total assists (6), total points (20) and points per game (1.82).

 

Kansas City senior defender Abby Small has been selected as one of 30 women's candidates for the Senior CLASS Award®. The total list of candidates is comprised of 60 NCAA men's and women's soccer student-athletes who excel both on and off the field.

 

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

 

Small, a two time Academic All-WAC selection, was selected to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-Region second team in 2018. As an electrical and computer engineering major, Small currently has a 3.64 cumulative GPA.

 

Small exemplifies leadership on and off the field as one of the SAAC (Student-Athlete Advisory Committee) and SALC (Student-Athlete Leadership Council) leaders and representatives for Kansas City. Through SALC, Small volunteers with Children's Mercy Hospital and donates to the Greater KC Boys & Girls Club.

 

Academically, Small is a member of IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), a member of SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and a member of Engineers without Borders.

 

Starting 67 of a possible 68 games in which she has played, Small has proved to be an anchor on the Roos strong defense. A two-time All-WAC First Team selection, Small was named the Preseason WAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second year in a row. She is a part of a Kansas City team that is coming off its second consecutive WAC regular-season title. At the time of nomination, Small and the Kansas City defense was ranked 44th in the nation in goals-against average (.547).

 

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

 

The group of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season. Those 10 finalists will be placed on an official ballot that is distributed through a nationwide voting system. One female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four C's of community, classroom, character and competition will be selected.

 

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Women's College Cup® championships in December.