BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Following wins over preseason conference favorite Murray State and UT Martin this weekend, the surging Eastern Kentucky University women’s soccer team swept the OVC weekly awards on Tuesday, the league office announced. It is the first time Colonels have won all three awards in the same week since Sept. 8, 2009.Freshman Nicole Donnelly was named the OVC Offensive Player of the Week, sophomore Katie Collar was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week and senior Stephanie Lynch was named the OVC Goalkeeper of the Week for an EKU team that has won four straight and is now 2-0-0 in conference play.
Donnelly scored three goals this weekend, including two game-winners, to lift EKU past the 2009 OVC Tournament champion, Murray State, and the 2009 OVC regular season champion, UT Martin. She scored in the 78th minute to lead the Colonels to their first-ever win over the Racers, 1-0, on Friday. She then scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner off a rebound in double-overtime, to lift EKU over UT Martin, 2-1, on Sunday.
The Cincinnati native has scored five of EKU’s last six goals and has delivered game-winners in three of the Colonels’ last four games.
For her clutch play, Donnelly was named a Primetime Performer of the Week along with 10 other players from across the country by the website CollegeSoccer360.com.
This is Donnelly’s first career OVC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Collar played 139 minutes on an EKU backline that led the Colonels to an undefeated start in OVC play by shutting out Murray State and surrendering just one goal to UT Martin. The defender from Calgary, Alberta also got forward more this weekend as she assisted on Donnelly’s first goal versus the Skyhawks and took six shots, two of which were on goal.
This is Collar’s first career OVC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Lynch recorded her third shutout of the year and 20th of her career as she made five saves in the 1-0 victory over Murray State. The senior from Goshen, Ky. turned in, arguably, an even better performance against UT Martin on Sunday as she allowed just one goal and made seven saves, several of them of the diving/spectacular variety, as the Colonels won in double overtime.
Lynch has now been named OVC Goalkeeper of the Week a program record six times in her career.
The EKU soccer team continues conference play this weekend when the Colonels host Tennessee Tech on Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1:00 p.m. at EKU Soccer Field.
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