UCA’s Bassett, McNeese’s Clayton and Roccaforte Claim Weekly Soccer Honors
FRISCO, Texas – Camille Bassett claimed the Offensive Player of the Week award while McNeese’s Sarah Clayton earned Defensive Player of the Week honors and fellow Cowgirl Emma Roccaforte earned the Goalkeeper of the Week. The league made the announcement Tuesday. Southland weekly awards are presented by
MidSouth Bank.
Central Arkansas went on the road to defeat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 2-1, and then Houston Baptist 3-1 to move atop the league’s standings with two weekends of regular-season action remaining. The Bears will be home this weekend for a date with Nicholls on Friday followed by a Sunday matchup versus Southeastern Louisiana. McNeese will also be home, starting with a Friday tilt against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi before welcoming Houston Baptist on Sunday.
Offensive Player of the Week: Camille Bassett, Central Arkansas – Sr. – Forward – Vista, California
Bassett played a key role as UCA pushed its winning streak to six to move to the top of the Southland Conference table. She tallied two goals to lead the Bears to a 3-1 road win at Houston Baptist. The Californian opened the scoring in the eighth minute, finishing off a flick from Gracie Hair with a header from point-blank range. Bassett added her second goal just 2:26 later, heading home a cross from Kristin Ricks for her ninth goal of the season.
The senior is tied for second in the Southland Conference with 21 points on the season and ranks first in the league with nine goals and three assists.
Honorable Mention: Amber Marinero, Southeastern Louisiana; April Trowbridge, Northwestern State
Defensive Player of the Week: Sarah Clayton, McNeese – Sr. – Defender – Rancho Mission Viejo, California
Clayton played all 199 possible minutes this past weekend and was the leader of a McNeese defense that only allowed 10 shots on goal in two shutouts, both 1-0 wins at Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word.
Honorable Mention: Sofia Olsson, Southeastern Louisiana; Michelle Mulrooney, Abilene Christian
Goalkeeper of the Week: Emma Roccaforte, McNeese – So. – Nederland, Texas
Roccaforte picked up her fifth and sixth shutouts of the season as her team defeated both Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word. Her six shutouts tie her for the most in the conference, and her 0.74 goals against average places her second in the league.
The sophomore’s 10 saves in the two matches moved her to fourth-best in the Southland in both saves (61) and save percentage (.847).
Honorable Mention: Nadine Maher, Southeastern Louisiana; Lauren Mercuri, Central Arkansas
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athlete is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.