Women’s Team of the Week: Sept. 25-Oct. 1

by TopDrawerSoccer

October 3, 2017

Despite the interruptions to UCF’s early season because of Hurricane Irma, the Knights are rolling right into American Athletic Conference play.

At home for a pair of crucial clashes, UCF’s strong 2017 continued, as the team’s prodigious attack led it to wins against Tulsa and Memphis.

Across two games, UCF combined to score 11 goals, with five of those coming from senior forward Morgan Ferrara, the latest TDS Player of the Week. Ferrara nabbed a hat trick in Sunday’s win against Memphis, a performance that came in the wake of a Thursday brace against Tulsa.

Player of the Week: Morgan Ferrara, UCF

UCF is now 7-1-1 on the season, winners of three straight in AAC play, despite having three games in September canceled.

Meet the rest of last week’s top performers below.

Team of the Week (September 25-October 1):

GK Mary Niehaus, Saint Louis – The Billikens enjoyed a nice week in Atlantic 10 play, and Niehaus was solid in goal to pick up two clean sheet. She made a combined nine saves, without conceding a goal, in wins over Davidson and Saint Joseph’s.

D Gianna Mitchell, Boston College – A freshman starter for BC this season, Mitchell anchored a defensive effort over the weekend against Virginia Tech. While the game finished in a 0-0 draw, Mitchell played a big role in keeping the shutout.

D Gabrielle Matulich, UCLA – After helping UCLA shutout Oregon on Friday, Matulich scored and added an assist in a 4-1 win over Oregon State.

D Isabel Rodriguez, Ohio State – The Buckeyes picked up a huge win at home, defeating Penn State by a 1-0 score. Rodriguez, a freshman central defender, played the full 90 as Ohio State kept the shutout.

D Vicky Krug, Wake Forest – It was a huge win for the Demon Deacons, winning 2-1 on the road over Notre Dame. Krug, a German freshman, nabbed the winning strike.

M Brianna Visalli, Pepperdine – Visalli scored two game-winning goals, finishing the weekend with three tallies in wins over San Francisco and Santa Clara.

M Megan Koenig, Minnesota – Two road wins for the Gophers should be a decisive moment in their season. Koenig supplied a goal and assist in a 3-1 victory over Maryland. She also helped her side to an impressive 2-1 win against Rutgers.

F Hannah Diaz, St. Mary's (CA) – Diaz helped St. Mary’s open WCC play with a pair of home wins. She scored the game-winning goals against Portland, the program’s first win against the Pilots at home since 1989. She followed that up with a free kick winner in a 1-0 defeat of Gonzaga.

F Veronica Latsko, Virginia – The senior forward hit the UVA record books, scoring three goals and adding two assists in a 7-0 win over Pittsburgh.

F Khadija Shaw, Tennessee – After losing against South Carolina last weekend, Shaw ensured that Tennessee bounced back emphatically. She scored the winner as the Volunteers secured a 2-0 win on the road against Alabama.

F Morgan Ferrara, UCF – With five goals in her last two games, Ferrara’s matched her 2016 output already, with seven tallies in 2017. The senior’s emergence could be critical as the Knights battle for an AAC crown.

Honorable Mention: M Joelle Anderson (Pepperdine), F Simone Charley (Vanderbilt), D Jackie Schaefer (South Carolina), F Natalie Neshat (Columbia), F Kristin Desmond (Hofstra), M Joanna Boyles (North Carolina), M Jordan DiBiasi (Stanford)