TDS Women's Team of the Week: Oct. 27

by TopDrawerSoccer

October 27, 2015

The women’s college soccer regular season is closing in on its final days of 2015, with postseason play right around the corner.

Performances at this point of the season can go a long way in determining a team’s postseason fate. Freshman CeCe Kizer helped deliver her Mississippi side to a pair of wins against SEC opposition, staying in touching distance for an NCAA seed and an outside shot for a conference title.

Below is the latest TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week. Don’t forget to send nominations to [email protected].

TDS Player of the Week: Cecelia Kizer, Mississippi

Team of the Week (Oct. 19-25)

GK Kristyn Shea, Providence – Shea went 2-0 over the past week, making a whopping 12 saves to lead the Friars to a 2-0 win against DePaul’s high-flying attack on Thursday.

D Meghan Cox, Virginia – With senior stalwart Emily Sonnett away with the U.S. national team, Cox led the back line to a pair of back-to-back shutout 1-0 victories in ACC play, including Sunday’s triumph against the reigning national champions Florida State.

D Alana Cook, Stanford – Each week, another freshman steps up and delivers a strong performance to keep the Cardinal perfect in Pac-12 play. This week, Cook played every minute in central defense in wins against Washington and Washington State. Cook also tacked on an insurance goal for good measure against the Huskies on Sunday.

D Leah Mattingly, Ball State – Ball State maintained inside track on the MAC regular season title, and Mattingly played every minute in pair of 1-0 wins against Akron and Buffalo. The defense setup the winner in the Friday defeat of Akron.

M Joanna Boyles, North Carolina – Riding a three-game losing streak heading into a pair of tough ACC matches, Boyles delivered a handful of match winning plays. She scored the winning goal against Notre Dame on Thursday, before assisting Jessie Scarpa’s decisive strike in Sunday’s 1-0 defeat of Clemson.

M Mandy Freeman, USC – The Trojans maintained their momentum ahead of a season-closing Pac-12 road trip, beating Utah and Colorado at home last weekend. Freeman scored the winning goal against the Utes from the penalty spot, before assisting on the first goal in a 3-0 defeat of the Buffaloes.

M Jessica Nakae, San Francisco – Nakae has just two goals on the season, but her second of the season provided a huge win for the Dons, as her second half effort against BYU was the game-winning goal that puts USF in the driver's seat for an unlikely WCC crown.

F Claire Emslie, Florida Atlantic – For the first time in program history, the Owls are heading to the Conference USA tournament . And Emslie played a pivotal role in securing that, scoring the game winners in defeats of UAB and Florida International.

F Cecelia Kizer, Mississippi – The top scoring freshman in the country delivered again for the Rebels. After netting the second goal in Thursday’s 2-0 victory against Tennessee, Kizer added two more, the tying and go ahead goal in a 4-3 wild win over Texas A&M.

F Mimi Asom, Princeton – The freshman’s scintillating form continued, as she scored a goal and setup the game winner in Princeton’s crucial 2-1 victory against Ivy League rivals Harvard.

F McKenzie Meehan, Boston College – It was a week to remember for Meehan, who scored three goals and added two assists in big wins over Miami (FL) and Wake Forest, keeping alive their at-large bid hopes.

Honorable Mention: GK Carolyn Huddy (UNC Wilmington), M Alexis Shaffer (Virginia), F Tyler Lussi (Princeton), F Savannah Jordan (Florida), D Louise Hogrell (Georgia), GK Holly Van Noord (Liberty), F Erica Murphy (Monmouth)