Women's Team of the Week: Oct. 9-15

by TopDrawerSoccer

October 17, 2017

Wins at this point in the last few weeks of the regular season can make or break a team’s NCAA Tournament at-large hopes.

And that was the case for Auburn heading into last week, needing to boost its win-loss record further above the .500 mark, not to mention bolster its RPI.

Senior forward Kristen Dodson helped her team to a couple of wins, earning the latest Player of the Week nod. She scored twice in a 4-2 win against Alabama, and then tallied the only goal of the game in a 1-0 victory at home against Florida.

Player of the Week: Kristen Dodson, Auburn

There were several impressive individual efforts over the past week.

Team of the Week (October 9-15)

GK Sandy MacIver, Clemson – It’s rare to see Virginia fail to score on its home turf in Klockner, but thanks in part to MacIver, Clemson shutout UVA in a 0-0 draw. MacIver made five saves to keep the clean sheet.

D Hannah Davison, Northwestern – Very firmly on the bubble ahead of last weekend’s Big Ten action, Northwestern needed wins in a big way back at home. Thanks to Davison and the team’s stout defense, the Wildcats nabbed two 2-0 wins against Minnesota and Wisconsin. Davison punctuated the defensive effort with two assists.

D Briana Alston, Texas A&M – The Aggie defender helped keep a clean sheet against Mississippi on Friday, as Texas A&M eventually emerged with a 1-0 win. Alston played the full 90 in the victory.

D Courtney Norton, Rutgers – Two games, two shutouts for Rutgers, as the Scarlet Knights continued to impress defensively. Norton logged every minute in a 0-0 draw against Penn State and a 1-0 home win over Ohio State.

M Madison Schupbach, Bowling Green – The senior had a hand in four of the team’s five goals, as the Falcons swept past Buffalo and Akron.

M Natalie Neshat, Columbia – Chasing an Ivy League crown, Neshat provided a dream start for Columbia as they emerged with a 2-0 win on the road against title rivals Princeton.

M Reighan Childers, UMKC(w) – The Missouri native accounted for all three of UMKC’s goals last week, as she scored a brace in a 2-0 win against CSU Bakersfield, which backed up a goal in a 1-0 defeat of Grand Canyon.

M Brianna Visalli, Pepperdine – A hat trick from Visalli led the Waves to their sixth straight win in a row, as Pepperdine remained perfect through its first four games in WCC play.

M Bayley Feist, Wake Forest – Feist accounted for both goals in Wake Forest’s 2-0 win against Florida State on Sunday.

F Kyra Carusa, Stanford – Finally forced into a close encounter in Pac-12 play, Carusa stepped up to score the winner in the 86th minute, as the Cardinal edged Washington 1-0 at home.

F Kristen Dodson, Auburn – Dodson hauled her team’s RPI to No. 18 with the two wins, ensuring a safe landing spot in the NCAA Tournament, provided they can keep their overall record above .500.

Honorable Mention: F Kayla Adamek (UCF), M Christina Klaum (Providence), GK Sarah LeBeau (Auburn), D Halle Hamilton (UMKC(w)), F Darian Powell (Marquette), F Skylar Fleak (Bowling Green)