University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Earn Weekly Honors
9/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Soccer
MINNEAPOLIS. - Three Minnesota women's soccer players earned recognition on Monday after the Gophers tallied three wins last week including a 2-1 victory over No. 14 San Diego to win the Minnesota Gold Classic. Senior midfielder Molly Rouse and sophomore goalkeeper Cat Parkhill were named the Big Ten Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively. Meanwhile, CollegeSoccer360.com tabbed junior defender Tamara Strahota (Burnsville, Minn. as a Primetime Performer of the Week.
Rouse (Cambridge, Minn.) earned her first-career weekly award after tallying six points on two goals and two assists along with nine shots for the week. She recorded her first goal in the second half of a 7-0 rout of Belmont on Tuesday before notching an assist in Minnesota's 2-0 win over UC-Santa Barbara on Friday. The senior concluded her week against San Diego, recording an assist on the first goal of the game before heading the game-winning goal to the back of the net in the 71st minute. Rouse's goal helped the Gophers notch their fifth-straight win. The accolade is the first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week awarded to Minnesota since Katie Bethke earned the honor on Oct. 5, 2009.
Parkhill (Apple Valley, Minn.) allowed just one goal in three starts in net last week to earn her first Defensive Player of the Week honor. The sophomore racked up 214 scoreless minutes in goal, playing the first 45 minutes of a 7-0 win against Belmont on Tuesday before earning her first full shutout of the season against UC-Santa Barbara on Friday. Parkhill held No. 14 San Diego scoreless for nearly 80 minutes, making three saves to help the Gophers take the 2-1 decision on Sunday. The Gopher goalkeeper recorded five total saves for the week and is now 5-1-0 in six starts this season, including 5-0-0 in her last five starts. Parkhill, who earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Sept. 2, 2009, is the first Minnesota player to be named Defensive Player of the Week honors since Jennie Clark earned the award on Oct. 12, 2009.
Strahota (Burnsville, Minn.) earned CollegeSoccer360.com Primetime Performer of the Week honors after successfully switching to center back last weekend to replace an injured Jennie Clark. She had just one day of practice to learn the new position, yet still helped the Gophers capture the Minnesota Gold Classic title, allowing just one goal and six shots on goal in the tournament.
