2019 Women's Soccer Players of the Week

Melissa Kasper, Webster University

Kasper closes out her collegiate career with a second straight weekly honor, giving her three for the season. The forward from Oswego, Illinois put up 1 goal and 4 assists in two conference wins last week. She tied a school record by assisting on four of her team's six goals against Principia, further extending her program career assist record. Kasper closed out the regular season by scoring the game-winner against Greenville, securing a share of the SLIAC regular-season title. 

Taryn Banfield, Webster University

Banfield, a freshman, picks up her 3rd Defensive Player of the Week award this fall after helping the Gorloks to a pair of shutout wins against conference opponents. The goalkeeper from Plano, Texas stopped all 7 shots she faced during the week. In all, she played 180 minutes in net and extends her shutout streak to over 402 minutes. She had a high of 4 saves in a win against Principia.

Melissa Kasper, Webster University

Kasper, a senior from Oswego, Ill., put her name in the Webster record books with a huge two-game effort. Kasper totaled 1 goal and 5 assists in two conference wins last week. She netted a goal and added two assists in a 3-0 win over Blackburn. She followed that by assisting on all three of the Gorloks' goals in their 3-0 win over MacMurray. With her five assists, she now has 50 career assists, setting a new school record. 

Sarah Cradick, Westminster College

Cradick remains red hot as she picks up her 2nd straight SLIAC Defensive Player of the Week award and 3rd overall. Cradick extended her shutout streak to five games with two more shutouts last week. She picked up a win in net over MacMurray, winning 4-0 and followed by blanking Fontbonne with a 0-0 double-overtime game, making 10 saves in the tie. She leads all SLIAC goalkeepers this season in save percentage and is third in goals against average.

Dori Emig, Spalding University

Emig netted four goals in two wins for the Golden Eagles last week including her first collegiate hat trick. She opened the week with 3 goals in a win against Iowa Wesleyan, accomplishing the feat on six shots. She followed with the game-winning goal in a 2-1 win over MacMurray. On the week Emig had 4 goals on seven shots, finishing with 8 total points and one game-winning goal.

Sarah Cradick, Westminster College

Cradick, a senior from Maryland Heights, Mo., posted back-to-back shutouts in net for the Blue Jays last week. She stopped 15 shots in a scoreless draw against Webster and then followed by stopping the only shot she faced in a 2-0 win over Blackburn. On the week Cradick had a perfect save percentage with 16 saves in 200 minutes of action.

Melissa Kasper, Webster University

Kasper, a senior from Oswego, Ill., led the Gorloks to a pair of wins last week against conference foes. The forward recorded her 3rd career hat-trick in a win over Iowa Wesleyan, also adding one assist in the game. She followed with the game's lone goal in a win over Spalding, giving her 45 in her career. With her 9 points last week she now has 135 in her career, moving into the top 5 on the program's list.

Taryn Banfield, Webster University

Banfield picks up her 2nd Player of the Week award this fall after recording 135 scoreless minutes in two wins last week. Banfield, a freshman goalkeeper from Plano, Texas, worked a scoreless first-half against Iowa Wesleyan and continued that stretch during a 1-0 shutout win over Spalding. Banfield made 6 saves in the win over Spalding including a pair of stops late. She extends her shutout streak to 285-minutes.  

Avery O'Hara, Spalding University

O'Hara picks up her first weekly honor after picking up her team and leading them to a 2-1 win over Fontbonne. The sophomore forward from Hopkinsville, Ky. scored both of her team's goals in the come from behind victory, the program's first-ever against the Griffins in 11 tries. O'Hara tallied the tying goal in the 33rd minute and the game-winner in the 56th minute.

Kayla Strehle, Spalding University

Strehle, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., secures the Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week award after sparking her team to a 2-1 win over Fontbonne. Strehle stopped 8 shots in the game, including four more in the game's final 33-minutes to hold onto the Spalding lead. 

(Offensive) Krystal Kohenskey, MacMurray College

Kohenskey follows up last week's win with a second straight Player of the Week award. The freshman midfielder scored in both of MacMurray's games last week, helping them to one win. Kohenskey netted four goals in a win over Lincoln Chrisitan, doing so on eight shots on goal. She followed that with another goal against Earlham. On the week Kohenskey finished with 5 goals and 10 points, putting 10 shots on goal.

(Defensive) Taryn Banfield, Webster University

Banfield, a freshman goalkeeper, secured Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors after allowing just two goals in two games last week. Banfield stopped 20 of 22 shots she faced on the week, finishing with a .909 save percentage. She played nearly 186-minutes in net, carrying a 0.97 goals-against average, and notched a shutout win over Anderson.

(Offensive) Krystal Kohenskey, MacMurray College

Kohenskey, a freshman, claims this week's SLIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week award. The midfielder finished with 5 goals in two games for the Highlanders last week, helping them to one win. She scored the lone goal of the game for MacMurray in a loss to Elmhurst. Over the weekend Kohenskey tallied 4 goals in the Highlanders 6-1 victory over Faith Baptist Bible. She recorded her five goals on the week on nine shots on goal.

(Defensive) Lilly Brauer, Webster University

Brauer, a senior from Belleville, Ill., starred for the Gorloks defense last week; helping them record back-to-back shutout wins. The defender played all 180-minutes on the week, anchoring a defense that allowed just five combined shots on goal in the two games. It marked the first two shutouts of the season for Webster.

(Offensive) Sam Amezcua, Fontbonne University

Sam Amezcua picks up the SLIAC Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honor after helping the Griffins go 1-0-1 last week. Amezcua, a junior from St. Louis, Mo., scored her first goal as a Griffin in her team's 7-0 win over St. Louis College of Pharmacy. She added two assists in that same game. Later in the week, she chipped in another assist, setting up the only Griffin goal of the game in a 1-1 tie against Hendrix. For the week Amezcua finished with 1 goal and 3 assists for 5 total points. 

(Defensive) Marjory Coates, Greenville University

Coates, a senior from Decatur, Ill., stood out in net for Greenville last week in picking up SLIAC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors. Coates played all 180-minutes in net for the Panthers, recording a pair of shutout wins. She totaled 10 saves in the victory over Rose-Hulman and added two more in a win over Harris-Stowe. For the week Coates made 12 saves and finished with a perfect save percentage.

(Defensive) Sarah Cradick, Westminster College
Sarah Cradick put in a valiant effort in net for the Blue Jays last week. Cradick stopped 17 of 20 shots faced last week, carrying a .850 save percentage for the week. She allowed just three goals in 180-minutes of action and had a high of 10 saves against Rhodes.