League play dominates this weekend's Conference USA women's action. DePaul will be look for it's 10th win of the season when it travels to Charlotte, which would equal a school record set last season. Three C-USA teams take on non-conference foes. Louisville hosts Murray State, while Memphis entertains Alabama A&M and Cincinnati travels to William & Mary. Read about this and more in the C-USA Women's Soccer Notebook.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSIVE
Christie Cigno, So., Midfielder
Saint Louis

Cigno helped lift Saint Louis to a 2-0 win at Drury with an assist, feeding Anny Schuch for the Billikens' insurance goal. Then against Southwest Missouri State, she scored the game-winning goal with the only score of the contest. Cigno leads the team in goals with five and is second on the team in points with 11.

DEFENSIVE
Anny Lucier, Sr., Back
Saint Louis

Lucier led the Billikens to their first shutouts on the road this season, helping hold their opponents to a combined seven shots on goal. She also added an assist in SLU's 2-0 victory at Drury, firing a 40-yard pass down on teammate Anny Schuch's goal. Lucier is an integral part of a Saint Louis defense which has registered eight shutouts this season, four shy of tying the school record of 12, set last season.


NEWS & NOTES

Fire Away – In Southern Miss’ 9-0 victory over Jackson State last Friday, the Golden Eagles set a Conference USA record for shots in a single match with 61. USM’s mark eclipses the previous one set by UAB in a 5-0 win over Tennessee Tech in 1996.

Shutting ‘Em Down – Saint Louis is 5-1 in its last six matches with all five of its victories coming via shutouts. In their wins, the Billikens have outscored the opposition 11-0. SLU has eight shutouts so far this season, four shy of tying the school mark of 12, set last season.

Tulane is 3-0 in its last three matches, all shutouts. The Green Wave has outscored its opponents 7-0 during that stretch.

Tough at Home – The Saint Louis defensive unit has been tough at home this season, not allowing a goal with a current single-season school record 465 consecutive shutout minutes at Hermann Stadium. The Billikens put that streak on the online when they entertain Louisville on Oct. 17.

On Pace – With its next victory this season, DePaul will match the program total for wins in a season with 10, which the Blue Demons set last season. Should DePaul collect its 10th win in its next match, it will have done so in 13th contests. Last season, the Blue Demons did not reach this plateau until their 18th match of the year.

Crandell On Hermann Watch List - Charlotte forward COURTNEY CRANDELL has been named to the 2003 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Award First Watch List. The M.A.C.’s Hermann Trophy is college soccer’s version of the Heisman Trophy and represents the highest level of individual achievement in the sport.

Last season, the Des Moines, Iowa-native led the 49ers to a school record 16 wins and the 2002 Conference USA regular-season crown by scoring a league record 21 goals and 50 points. Crandell, who became the first player in conference women’s soccer history to claim both the league’s Player and Freshman of the Year awards for the same season in 2002 and this season’s league preseason player of the year.



C-USA HONOR ROLL

TASHA WAGNER - CINCINNATI
Wagner recorded two shots and one assist versus Oakland. She currently leads the Bearcats in both categories, posting four of each.

KRISTINA WILSON – CINCINNATI
Wilson scored her first goal of the year off a Tasha Wagner corner kick to help the Bearcats avoid the shutout against Oakland on Sunday.

ERIN WALTER – DE PAUL
Walter notched her first multi-goal game of her career on Sunday at Colorado College. The sophomore tied the match at 1-1 in the 27th minute before knocking in the game-winner at 52:41. She also led the team in shots in the 1-0 loss at Air Force on Friday. In that match, which DePaul lost 1-0 on an own goal, Walter tallied four shots.

LINDSEY DEASON – DE PAUL
Deason totaled 17 saves on the weekend in two road matches. Despite allowing an own goal on Friday at Air Force, she stopped a season-high nine shots. The junior followed that performance up with eight saves in the 2-1 win at Colorado College on Sunday. For the season, Deason has five shutouts with a goals against average of 0.65.

PENNY PERROTT – EAST CAROLINA
Perrott scored the game-winning goal against Elon in a 2-0 win on Sunday. It was her second goal of the season and she helped the Pirates improve to 6-4-2 on the season and 4-0-0 at home. Perrott also anchored the defensive unit that allowed one goal against No. 9 Wake Forest and recorded a shutout against Elon, its fifth of the season, last week. The Pirates defense did not allow a single shot versus Elon.

NIKKI HAWKINS - HOUSTON
Depite not registering any shots in Houston's loss to Rice over the weekend, Hawkins aided the offense in passing. She continues to lead the Cougars in every offensive category, including points (9), shots (27), shots on goal (12), goals (4) and assists (1).

EMILY ALLWARDT - HOUSTON
As a Cougar defender, Allwardt has registered five shots on the season, including one on goal. She is also the defense's mainstay on blocking and protecting the goal.

SARAH BRENNAN – SOUTHERN MISS
Brennan scored both goals in a 2-1 win Sunday against South Alabama and registered an assist in the Golden Eagles' 9-0 win over Jackson State Friday.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Each week, an offensive and defensive player of the week was selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S2 Meghan McCallion, So., F, ECU
Jessica Traver, Fr., F, TUL
S8 Carolyn Klopp, Sr., MF/F, MAR
Julianne Sitch, So., F, DPU
S15 Nikki Hawkins, Jr., MF, HOU
Lindsay Morris, Jr., F, TUL
S22 Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DPU
Jill Knottek, Sr., F, UAB
S29 Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DPU
O6 Christie Cigno, So., MF, SLU

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
S2 Leah Peterson, Fr., D, TUL
S8 Katie Bissen, Jr, GK, MAR
S15 Penny Perrott, Sr., D, ECU
S22 Kara Kornfeld, Jr., B, SLU
S29 Megan Morey, So., GK, TUL
O6 Anny Lucier, Sr., B, SLU

NATIONAL HONORS
In addition to the C-USA Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, league players are occasionally honored for their outstanding performances throughout the season by Soccer America and Soccer Buzz. Track those accolades here.

Soocer America Team of the Week
S23 Kara Kornfeld, B, SLU

Soccer Buzz Elite Team of the Week
S9 Julianne Sitch, MF/F, DPU
S23 Julianne Sitch, MF/F, DPU
O6 Anny Lucier, D, SLU

NATIONAL POLLS
Here’s a look at the 2003 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), Soccer America, Soccer Times and Soccer Buzz Top 25 polls, as well as the NSCAA Regional Rankings.

NSCAA (Oct. 6)
1. North Carolina
2. Notre Dame
3. UCLA
4. Virginia
5. Texas A&M
6. Portland
7. Florida
8. West Virginia
9. Washington
10. Connecticut
11. Ohio State
12. Colorado
13. Pepperdine
14. Penn State
15. Duke
16. Wake Forest
17. Purdue
18. Oklahoma
19. Santa Clara
20. Boston College
21. California
22. Nebraska
23. Princeton
24. Clemson
25. Illinois

Great Lakes Region
1. Notre Dame
2. Ohio State
3. Purdue
4. Illinois
5. Dayton
6. Michigan State
7. Oakland
9 Wisconsin
8 DE PAUL
10. Minnesota
10. Northwestern

Soccer Times (Oct. 6)
1. North Carolina
2. Notre Dame
3. Virginia
4. UCLA
5. Florida
6. Portland
7. Texas A&M
8. West Virginia
9. Penn State
10. Washington
11. Pepperdine
12. Duke
13. Connecticut
14. Wake Forest
15. Ohio State
16. Colorado
17. Santa Clara
18. California
19. Nebraska
20. Denver
21. Oklahoma State
22. Arizona State
23. Purdue
24. Boston College
25. USC

Soccer America (Oct. 6)
1. North Carolina
2. Notre Dame
3. UCLA
4. Virginia
5. Portland
6. West Virginia
7. Florida
8. Pepperdine
9. Penn State
10. Connecticut
11. Texas A&M
12. Washington
13. Santa Clara
14. Duke
15. Wake Forest
16. Colorado
17. BYU
18. USC
19. Cal Poly
20. Loyola Marymount
21. Ohio State
22. Florida State
23. Maryland
24. Oklahoma State
24. Denver

Soccer Buzz (Oct. 6)
1. North Carolina
2. Notre Dame
3. UCLA
4. Virginia
5. Texas A&M
6. Pepperdine
7. Portland
8. Florida
9. West Virginia
10. Penn State
11. Colorado
12. Washington
13. Duke
14. Ohio State
15. Wake Forest
16. Connecticut
17. Boston College
18. California
19. Purdue
20. Denver
21. Santa Clara
22. Oklahoma State
23. Illinois
24. Auburn
25. Oklahoma

Great Lakes Region
1. Notre Dame
2. Ohio State
3. Purdue
4. Illinois
5. Michigan State
6. Dayton
7. Northwestern
8 DE PAUL
9 Wisconsin
10. Kent State

C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS
Cincinnati, which has won the last two Conference USA Tournament titles and has made back-to-back trips to the NCAA Championship, has been selected to win 2003 regular-season title in a vote taken by the league’s 14 head coaches. Charlotte’s Courtney Crandell, who became the first player in conference women’s soccer history to claim both the league’s Player and Freshman of the Year awards for the same season in 2002, was tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year.

2003 C-USA PRESEASON AWARDS

PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Courtney Crandell, So., F, Charlotte

ALL-CONFERENCE
Courtney Crandell, So., F, Charlotte
Kim Moore, Sr., D, Charlotte
Tasha Wagner, Sr., MF, Cincinnati
Julianne Sitch, So., MF/F, DePaul
Penny Perrott, Sr. D, East Carolina
Nikki Hawkins, Jr., MF, Houston
Alison Sinclair, Sr., D, Houston
Kristen Jensen, Sr. MF, Marquette
Anne Ioder, Sr., MF, Marquette
Christie Cigno, So., F/MF, Saint Louis
Jamie Perry, Jr., F, Saint Louis
Tara Kidwell, Jr., F, UAB
Breck Bankester, Jr., GK, USF

2003 C-USA PRESEASON POLL
(as selected by C-USA coaches)
1. Cincinnati
2. Charlotte
3. Marquette
4. Saint Louis
5. East Carolina
6. Houston
7. Memphis
8. UAB
9. DePaul
10. USF
11. Tulane
12. TCU
13. Southern Miss
14. Louisville