PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The final American Athletic Conference women's soccer weekly awards feature teams four that are at least receiving consideration in the national top-25 polls and five of the six squads that will compete in this week's conference championship. ECU took home the top offensive and goalkeeper awards as they moved up three spots in the final week of play to secure a postseason berth and the No. 4 seed in the tournament. No. 18/14 USF and rv/- SMU garnered the defensive and rookie awards, respectively.
Offensive Player of the Week
Cashlin Copley * So. * F/MF * ECU
Copley up came clutch twice last week for the Pirates when they needed it most. The sophomore netted the game-winning goal in a 1-0 victory against Cincinnati to propel ECU into its highest-ever American Athletic Conference Championship seed. She then did again just two days later as she scored the deciding goal against UConn to push the Pirates up the No. 4 seed after they started the week outside of the tournament field.
Defensive Player of the Week
Kelli Burney * RS-Jr. * D * USF
Burney earns her third Defensive Player of the Week award this season as she anchored a shutout of rv/- UCF that clinched the outright regular-season championship for USF. The defender played every minute of the clean sheet in an effort that limited the Knights to a lone shot on goal and only eight total shots. It was USF's sixth shutout of the year.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Melanie Stiles * So. * ECU
Stiles joins Copley as first-time award winners and did so in pivotal fashion. The second-year goalkeeper posted two shutouts last week which clinched the Pirates an American postseason berth. She stopped a season-high nine shots in the 1-0 win over Cincinnati and earned two wins on the week with four more saves in the 2-0 win against UConn which further pushed ECU up the league standings.
Rookie of the Week
Celiana Torres * Fr. * MF * SMU
Torres earns her first conference accolade in impressive style as she went off for three points in SMU's postseason-clinching win over Houston. The midfielder scored the game-winning goal in the 3-0 victory over the Cougars and added an assist later in the match. She finishes the regular season as SMU's leading point-scorer and top assist player with 20 and six, respectively.
Weekly Honor Roll
Olivia Gauthier * Sr. * D * Memphis
Held Tulsa to six shots and just one on goal while adding an assist off a corner kick
Marie Levasseur * Sr. * F * Memphis
Matched a career-high with four points (goal, two assists); scored the equalizer and assisted on game-winner
Konya Plummer * Jr. * D * UCF
Held a potent USF offense scoreless for 81 minutes and moved to forward with time winding down
Kim Sanford * So. * D * ECU
Led the defense to two shutout victories and assisted on the game-winner in the postseason clincher
Evelyne Viens * Jr. * F * USF
Scored the game-winning goal in the 82
nd minute that gave USF the outright regular season championship