Barker, Dodd, Flax Named Soccer Players of the Week
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Stephen F. Austin senior forward Hanna Barker and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Megan Dodd and Abbie Flax were named Southland Conference Players of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Barker was named Offensive Player of the Week while Dodd was tabbed as Defensive Player of the Week and Flax was voted Goalkeeper of the Week.
Southland Players of the Week are presented by
UniversalCoin.com.
Both the Ladyjacks and Islanders are in action Friday, with SFA hosting Houston Baptist at 7 p.m. and A&M-Corpus Christi heading to Huntsville to face Sam Houston State at 6:30 p.m. They will both meet in Nacogdoches for a conference matchup Sunday at 1 p.m. Both games at Stephen F. Austin will broadcast on ESPN3.
Offensive Player of the Week: Hanna Barker, Stephen F. Austin – Sr. – Forward – Farmers Branch, Texas
In Friday’s shutout victory at home over Northwestern State, Barker scored a goal and notched an assist for the third time in a match this season. She is now tied for the conference lead in points with 10, is second in assists (four), and is tied for second in goals (three) after week five.
Honorable Mention: Lucy Ashworth, Lamar; Savannah LaRicci, McNeese; Chloe Fifer, Abilene Christian; Ashley Smith, Central Arkansas; Katie Lawrence, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Defensive Player of the Week: Megan Dodd, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – Fr. – Defender – Phoenix, Ariz.
Dodd started both matches on a backline that did not surrender a single goal over the weekend, extending the Islanders’ shutout record to three-plus matches (311 minutes). She helped anchor a defense that held UIW to seven shots and Prairie View A&M to season-lows in both shots (four) and shots on goal (one). Dodd also scored the game-winner in the Islanders win against the Panthers, the first tally of her career.
Honorable Mention: Shay Johnson, Abilene Christian; Kennedy Rose, Stephen F. Austin; Gabi D’Alesandro, McNeese.
Goalkeeper of the Week: Abbie Flax, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi – R-Jr. – Goalkeeper – Overland Park, Kan.
Flax earned back-to-back clean sheets with shutout wins over UIW and Prairie View A&M, stopping all four shots on her goal over the weekend. She is just the second player in Islanders’ history to record back-to-back shutouts, pushing the team to its all-time longest unbeaten streak (four) and longest shutout streak (311 minutes).
Honorable Mention: Taylor Benoit, Nicholls; Lauren Mercuri, Central Arkansas; Emma Roccaforte, McNeese.
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school’s sports information director. Voting for one’s own athletes is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.