Sept. 23, 2008
Eleven of the schools closed out their non-conference schedule last week as C-USA action begins this weekend. Houston added a match with Houston Baptist tonight to make up for two matches that were cancelled due to Hurricane Ike. Then all 12 teams play a pair of conference games on Friday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 28.
Complete Women's Soccer Notebook and Statistics in PDF Format 
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Chelsea Winbush, UTEP
Junior, MF/D, Allen, Texas
Winbush scored in a pair of Miner victories and tallied a team-leading five points to lead UTEP to the Border Shootout title. Winbush scored UTEP's first goal in Friday's 3-1 win against Air Force. Sunday against Northern Colorado, she was also responsible for the Miners' initial goal and then was credited with an assist on UTEP's game-winning second tally. Winbush was a defender for the Miners until converted to midfield prior to the start of Friday's match in an effort to spark the offense. The change paid dividends, as UTEP scored six goals in two games after managing 10 goals through the first seven contests. Winbush becomes the first C-USA women's soccer player to win an Offensive and Defensive (10/23/06) Player of the Week honor.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Meghan Erkel, Rice
Sophomore, GK, Granite Bay, Calif.
Erkel made nine saves in 135 minutes of work to help the Owls go 1-1-0 for the weekend. The sophomore started Friday's game in the net against McNeese State in goal and allowed no goals in the 4-2 victory. She also started Sunday against No. 8 Texas A&M in a 2-1 decision to the nationally-ranked Aggies. Erkel registered an .818 save percentage on the weekend. It is her first Player of the Week award.
FABULOUS FRESHMEN
Rice freshman Amy Beger scored two goals and assisted on another to lead Rice to a 4-2 victory over visiting McNeese State on Sept. 19. The five points in a game are the most for a true freshman and fifth-most in school history. Beger is one of several freshmen to stand out in the league so far this season. UCF freshman GK Aline Reis has won two Defensive Player of the Week honors in the first five weeks, while Houston freshman F Jessica Zavalza and UTEP freshman Chandra Morden-Bednar have also been recognized with a weekly award. Marshall freshman Angela DeSumma currently leads the league and ranks in the Top 20 nationally with 0.71 assists per game. Zavalza ranks fourth on the C-USA scoring chart with 1.20 points per game and two game-winning goals. In addition to Zavalza, East Carolina freshman Amanda Malkiewicz and Memphis freshman Lizzy Simonin both top their team scoring chart so far this season.
UTEP WINS THIRD TOURNAMENT TITLE
Inspired by a rocking crowd of 951 fans, the sixth-largest in program history, Melissa Desilets, Brittany Vacca and Chelsea Winbush each scored their first goals in 2008 to lead UTEP to a 3-1 victory against Air Force on the opening night of the ninth-annual Border Shootout. The Miners then improved to 7-0-0 at home this season, and won their third tournament title of the season, with a 3-1 victory against Northern Colorado on Sunday. Winbush scored her second goal of the weekend, after being moved from the back to the midfield on Friday. Brandi Aston and Cortney Casey also scored for the Miners.
HUSTON NEARING CENTURY MARK
Rice head coach Chris Huston enters the 2008 conference season Friday with 98 career wins. In her eighth season since starting the program in 2001, Huston has compiled a 98-74-12 record as the Owls' only head coach.
SHOOTING STARS
Rice junior Anne Candee scored her team-leading fifth goal of the season for the Owls in a 4-2 win against McNeese State. Unfortunately, Candee was injured and had to be helped off the field. Her condition is still being evaluated.
SMU freshman F Logan May scored her first collegiate goal Friday night, and she made it count, as the goal lifted the Mustangs to a 1-0 win at Cal State-Fullerton. The Mustangs also played defending national champion USC while on the California road trip.
Houston's Jessica Rathweg also scored her first career goal for the Cougars on a corner kick, heading Stephanie Derieg's service into the back of the net for the game winner in a 1-0 shutout of Texas State.
UH senior GK Shelby Scott posted her third straight shutout and the Cougars won their fourth straight match Friday with a 1-0 road victory at Texas State. The four-match win streak is the Cougars longest since 2006.
No. 18 UCF dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 21 Kansas. The loss snapped the Knights 16-match home unbeaten streak (12-0-4) dating back to 2006 and a six-match unbeaten streak this year (5-0-1).
East Carolina senior Madison Keller scored her first goal of the season, but the Pirates dropped their first home match - a 2-1 decision to Coastal Carolina.
Marshall played host Ohio University to a 1-1 draw Sunday. It was the fourth match this season that ended in a tie for the Herd as the team closes its non-conference schedule with a 2-2-4 mark.
Rice sophomore Kate Edwards, the Owls' leading scorer a year ago, tallied her first goal of this season in a 2-1 loss to No. 8 Texas A&M. The match was enjoyed by a crowd of 710 fans and a national CBS College Sports television audience.
