INDIANAPOLIS – Milwaukee senior forward Sarah Hagen (Appleton, Wis.) has been named Horizon League Women’s Soccer Player of the Week, for the week beginning Aug. 15. The honor is the first of the year for Hagen and 12th of her career, the most in League history.
The forward led Milwaukee to a 2-0 mark last week, with both wins coming against BCS opponents. Hagen’s five points on the weekend paced the Horizon League.
In the Panthers’ 3-2 victory at Michigan State, Hagen figured in all three tallies, assisting on the game-opening goal and adding the final two goals as Milwaukee collected the road win. The goals were the 68th and 69th of Hagen’s career, adding to her League record total.
Hagen took a game-high five shots in Milwaukee’s 1-0 shutout of DePaul on Sunday, giving her 11 total shots in the two matches. The five-point evening on Friday gave Hagen 156 points in her career, pushing her six points clear of Detroit’s Cindy Fix (1993-96) for the top spot on the League’s career points ledger.
The senior spent the summer with the U23 U.S. Soccer Team, leading the squad in goals while collecting Preseason All-America and Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List accolades prior to the start of the 2011 season.
The Panthers will host the Milwaukee Cup competition this weekend, welcoming Long Beach State to Engelmann Stadium on Friday, Aug. 26 at 8 p.m. ET before meeting St. Louis on Aug. 28 at 2 p.m. ET. Both matches will be carried live on the Horizon League Network, available at www.Horizonleague.com.
Top Performers for the Week:
Rachael Melendez, Butler (Jr., M) - Melendez helped lead Butler to a victory in its season opener, tallying two goals in a 4-0 romp over visiting Madonna. In two matches, Melendez posted four shots, with her two on frame finding the back of the net.
Lynsay Strahorn, Cleveland State (Fr., F) - In her first two collegiate matches, Strahorn scored in both, leading Cleveland State to a 1-1 start to the season. The freshman recorded the equalizer in the Vikings’ 2-1 victory over Duquesne on Sunday after scoring what was the go-ahead goal in the 35th minute in an eventual 3-2 loss at Kent State.
Hekla Palmadottir, Green Bay (So., F) - Moving up front after spending a year at defense, Palmadottir collected both of Green Bay’s goals in a 2-0 triumph over Nebraska-Omaha on Friday. In two matches, the Icelander finished with 11 shots, five of which were on target.
Monica Gonyo, Loyola (Fr., GK) - Turning aside five shots on goal, Goydo turned in back-to-back shutouts in her first two collegiate matches, leading Loyola to a 2-0 start to the year. The freshman turned away three shots in the Ramblers’ 1-0 blanking of Bowling Green before stopping two shots en route to her second straight shutout, a 1-0 match against visiting Gonzaga.
Luisa Desario, Valparaiso (Jr., M) - Desario moved into a tie for ninth on the Valparaiso career goals list with her 11th career tally on Sunday in an eventual 4-2 win over in-state foe IPFW. The junior added an assist on the game-winning goal, finishing the week with three points.
Jen Agueci, Wright State (Sr., M) - Playing in her first matches since 2009, Agueci led Wright State to a 2-0 weekend, picking up two goals in the Raiders’ 8-1 rout of Canisius. The senior had three shots across the two wins, with both shots on goal beating the keeper.
