GLIAC Announces Week 3 Women’s Soccer Award Winners
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has recognized outstanding performances in women’s soccer for Week 3 of the 2025 season. The accolades featured Ferris State’s Katherine Welch earning the title of GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week, while Grand Valley State’s Acadia Murphy was honored as the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Offensive Player of the Week: Katherine Welch
Katherine Welch, a junior forward at Ferris State University, played a pivotal role in securing two victories for the Bulldogs as they commenced conference play. Throughout the weekend, Welch was influential in both goals during the team’s 1-0 triumphs. Notably, she netted the decisive score just 12 minutes into Sunday’s match against Purdue Northwest, contributing significantly to the Bulldogs’ successful start to league action. Additionally, she provided the assist for the sole goal in Friday’s win over Davenport. Over the two matches, Welch led the team with four shots and played nearly the entire duration of both games, totaling almost 180 minutes on the field.
Defensive Player of the Week: Acadia Murphy
From Grand Valley State, redshirt junior Acadia Murphy has earned her first GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week award this season. Murphy played a crucial role in the Lakers’ defense during their 2-0 win against Saginaw Valley State, which marked the onset of their conference schedule. Displaying her endurance and defensive skills, she played the full 90 minutes and was instrumental in maintaining a clean sheet by preventing any shots on goal from their opponents. Murphy has consistently demonstrated her reliability, participating in all 90 minutes of four out of five games this season and logging an impressive 434 minutes of playing time.
Honorable Mentions
In addition to the weekly award recipients, several players received honorable mentions:
- Offense: Addison Frantti (Northern Michigan), Sonya Mehta (Grand Valley State), Emily Mikkelson (Parkside), Madelyn Schamanek (Davenport), Peyton Wetzel (Michigan Tech), Sophia Zalucki (Saginaw Valley State)
- Defense: Kenna Alexander (Northern Michigan), Bri Barrows (Michigan Tech), Tristen Cross (Parkside), Lainey Garbarz (Saginaw Valley State), Bailey Gauthier (Davenport), Korinne Ihrke (Ferris State)
