Women's Team of the Week: December 3
Once again, the Washington State Cougars were far from home and found a way.
In an unsurprisingly tight and close NCAA tournament quarterfinal against South Carolina, 90 minutes of action failed to yield a goal.
Previous Teams of the Week: Aug. 27 | Sept. 3 | Sept. 10 | Sept. 17 | Sept. 24 | Oct. 1 | Oct. 8 | Oct. 15 | Oct. 22 | Oct. 29 | Nov. 5 | Nov. 12 | Nov. 19 | Nov. 26
Five minutes into overtime, a set piece opportunity changed that all for the Cougars. It was defender Mykiaa Minness, alone at the back post on a corner kick, to volley home a looping ball and win it for the Pac-12 side. She secures the final TopDrawerSoccer.com Women's Player of the Week award for the 2019 season.
Minness played every minute of the match, helping keep the clean sheet against the No. 2 tournament seed and SEC tournament champs. Eventually, she was able to find a goal, sending Washington State to the College Cup for the first time in program history.
Player of the Week: Mykiaa Minness, Washington State
WASHINGTON STATE PUNCHED IT IN THE NET TO PUNCH ITS TICKET TO SAN JOSE.
— NCAA Soccer (@NCAASoccer) November 30, 2019
🤯🤯🤯#NCAASoccer | @wsucougarsoccer pic.twitter.com/651tD0o7Z0
Check out some of the other top performances from the Women’s Division I quarterfinals below.
Team of the Week: November 25-December 1
GK Ella Dederick, Washington State – The senior netminder missed the entire 2018 season through injury, and has made it a memorable final campaign at the Pac-12 program. She made three saves and kept her nerve, setting up the chance for Minness to take in overtime.
D Maycee Bell, North Carolina – While it wasn’t the typical defensively resolute performance from the Tar Heels, Bell’s glancing header proved to be the winner in a 3-2 victory against USC.
D Kaiya McCullough, UCLA – It was a dominant outing for UCLA down in Tallahassee on both sides of the ball. McCullough played 90 minutes, limiting Florida State to just seven shots in total, only two on frame.
D Kiki Pickett, Stanford – The junior defender has quietly had an excellent season. That continued in Friday’s big win against BYU, scoring a goal and helping to limit their potent offense to just a single goal.
D Mykiaa Minness, Washington State – Slotting in right away as a starter during her freshman campaign in 2018, Minness picked the perfect time to score her first goal of the season.
D Emily Fox, North Carolina – While Fox had to come off with an ankle injury, her goal just before halftime was crucial as the Tar Heels won the wild match.
M Natalie Jacobs, USC – In her final college game, Jacobs left it all on the field, as she scored a goal that tied the game before Bell’s eventual winner.
M Catarina Macario, Stanford – A move to the No. 10 spot has been a huge part of the Cardinal’s success. And once again, Macario supplied two amazing finishes to crack open the game against BYU.
F Mia Fishel, UCLA – After her teammate Chloe Castenada opened the scoring with two tallies against FSU, Fishel chipped in two more goals to put the game out of reach. Her 14 goals on the season are second most among freshmen for the 2019 season.
F Madison Haley, Stanford – A key cog in the Cardinal attack, Haley combined well with Macario on Stanford’s first two goals of the game against BYU.
F Chloe Castenada, UCLA – Two goals in the first 17 minutes by Castenada set the tone for UCLA’s romp against Florida State. With her and Fishel clicking, it gives the Bruins every chance in the College Cup this weekend versus Stanford.
Honorable Mention: M Taylor Otto (North Carolina), M Jessie Fleming (UCLA), F Samantha Tran (Stanford), D Hanna Goff (Washington State)
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