A Tribute to Tenacity: Women’s Soccer Team of the Week
Key Highlights:
- Washington goalkeeper Tanner Ijams shines against adversity.
- Several players lead their teams to conference championships.
The latest Women’s Soccer Team of the Week showcases players who have demonstrated exceptional skill and determination. Leading this week is goalkeeper Tanner Ijams of Washington, whose remarkable performance came at a time of profound loss for her team.
Washington entered the Big Ten final with heavy hearts after the loss of teammate Mia Hamant, who passed away shortly after her team’s semifinal win. In a moving tribute to Hamant, Ijams delivered an outstanding performance against Michigan State, recording a career-high six saves during a tense overtime that ended in a 1-1 draw. Her resolute play continued as she stopped two penalties during the shootout, securing the Big Ten championship for the Huskies.
Here is a detailed breakdown of this week’s standout players:
Player of the Week
Tanner Ijams, Washington (w): The sophomore goalkeeper propelled her team to victory with key saves in the tournament final, embodying resilience and skill.
Women’s Team of the Week (November 3 – November 9)
Goalkeeper
Tanner Ijams, Washington (w) – Ijams’s critical saves in the Big Ten tournament final were instrumental in her team’s triumph.
Defenders
- Theanna Burnett, Sacred Heart (w) – Burnett played a crucial role in Sacred Heart’s defense, contributing to a Cinderella run that culminated in a MAAC championship. She logged 90 minutes in a semifinal victory against Fairfield, followed by 110 minutes in a snow-affected penalty shootout win against Canisius.
- Kennley Bradley, Texas State (w) – Bradley scored the pivotal goal in the semifinal against South Alabama and played the entire match in the championship, leading Texas State to the Sun Belt title.
- Lauren Eckerle, South Dakota State (w) – Eckerle’s leadership as captain helped secure two clean sheets and earned her the Summit League MVP title.
Midfielders
- Lauren Flax, Liberty (w) – Flax delivered an outstanding performance in the Conference USA final, scoring twice in a 3-0 victory over Missouri State.
- Ellie Walbruch, BYU (w) – The eighth-seeded Walbruch contributed significantly to BYU’s Big 12 championship run, scoring two goals in each of the quarterfinal and semifinal matches, as well as the decisive goal in the final.
- Jasmine Aikey, Stanford (w) – Aikey’s two superb goals were vital in Stanford’s ACC tournament victory, highlighted by one in the final against Notre Dame.
- Brigid Duffy, Army (w) – After scoring in the semifinals, Duffy turned to facilitating, assisting on all three goals in the Patriot League final against Boston University.
Forwards
- Samantha Erbach, Xavier (w) – Erbach exemplified a standout performance by scoring a hat trick in a semifinal against Connecticut and netting the first goal in the Big East championship.
- Kristina Karlof, Wisconsin-Milwaukee (w) – Karlof’s two goals and three assists helped lead the Panthers to a dominant victory, clinching their eighth Horizon League title.
- Liana Bryant, Grambling State (w) – Known for her contributions, Bryant scored two goals and assisted in a 6-0 victory during the SWAC semifinals, and netted the winning goal in the final match.
Honorable Mentions
Additional outstanding players include:
- GK: Sara Sanabria (UIC w)
- D: Luise Reinwald (Maine w)
- D: Kari Powell (High Point w)
- D: Anna Leschly (Dartmouth w)
- M: Heidi Thomasma (Western Michigan w)
- M: Anja Jestrovic (California Baptist w)
- M: Hanna Himes (Samford w)
- M: Bella Carapazza (Lipscomb w)
- F: Paisley Barela (Houston Christian w)
- F: Katie Toney (Tennessee Tech w)
- F: Jessie Halladay (Cal Poly w)
To submit future nominations for the Team of the Week, please send recommendations to college@topdrawersoccer.com.
