Rutgers and Villanova Claim Big East Women's Soccer Weekly Awards

By the Big East
Posted Monday, October 6, 2008

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rutgers and Villanova each had a pair of women’s soccer players top the seventh week of BIG EAST weekly honors. Rutgers junior forward Caycie Gusman was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, while junior teammate Erin Guthrie was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week. Villanova junior Kelly Eagan was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week and teammate Kaitlin Ryan was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week.

Gusman scored both Rutgers goals in a pair of 1-0 wins to earn BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors. Her goal against Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 came in the 81st minute, while her goal against then-No. 13/10 West Virginia on Oct. 5 came in the 69th minute. Gusman has scored a team-leading and career-high seven goals this year to rank fourth in the BIG EAST. This is her second weekly honor as she also was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1, 2008.

Guthrie earns BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week honors following a pair of shutouts in which she totaled six saves and helped RU post a 2-0-0 record last week. The junior made two saves in a 1-0 win against Pittsburgh on Oct. 3 and had four stops in a 1-0 win against then-No. 13/10 West Virginia on Oct. 5. The Mountaineers entered the game averaging 2.1 goals per contest. This is her fourth BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week award and her second of the year. She also earned the award on Sept. 15, 2008, as well as Oct. 23, 2006 and Sept. 18, 2006.

Eagan earns BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors after she helped anchor a VU defense that posted a pair of shutouts and went 2-0-0 last week. On Oct. 3 the Wildcats blanked St. John’s 3-0 and held the Red Storm to just two shots on goal. On Oct. 5 VU posted a 3-0 shutout against Syracuse . This is her third BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honor, but her first of the 2008 season. She also won the award on Sept. 24, 2007 and Oct. 9, 2006.

Ryan totaled four points, including two goals in a 2-0-0 week off the bench for the Wildcats to earn BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors. She scored a goal in a 3-0 win against St. John’s on Oct. 3. The Red Storm entered the game having allowed just three goals all year. In a 3-0 win over Syracuse on Oct. 5, Ryan tallied a score, her team-leading seventh of the year. This is her third BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honor, as she also earned the honor on Sept. 15 and Sept. 8.

BIG EAST WEEKLY HONOR ROLL

Brittany Bock, Sr., F, Notre Dame

Elizabeth Bond, R-Fr., GK, Seton Hall

Jill Camburn, Jr., F, Providence

Kristin May, Sr., M, Cincinnati

Becky Wise, Jr., D, Rutgers

QUICK KICKS

AMONG THE GREATS – On Oct. 5, Notre Dame senior forward Kerri Hanks picked up an assist and converted a penalty kick in the 88th minute to become the school’s all-time leader with 213 points (76 goals and 61 assists). She passed former standout Jenny Streiffer (211 from 1996-99).

“It’s a tremendous honor and something I couldn’t possibly do without my teammates,” Hanks said. “I think it means even more for this to happen on a weekend when we have been celebrating our program’s 20th anniversary. All of us on the current team are trying to do all we can to follow in the footsteps of the great Notre Dame players, like Jenny Streiffer, who took this program to another level and have made Irish soccer what it is today.”

Hanks moved into 14th place on the NCAA all-time points list and is one point shy of 11th. Three players are tied for 11th place with 214 points (Penn State’s Tiffany Weimer, North Texas’ Marilyn Marin and BYU’s Shauna Robhock), while Penn State’s Christie Welsh currently stands in 10th place with 216 career points.