Big South Announces Women's Soccer Players of the Week - Aug. 31

Big South Announces Women's Soccer Players of the Week - Aug. 31

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – USC Upstate forward Liana Bryant (Grand Junction, Colo.) has been named the Big South Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week, while the Spartans’ Danielle Trovato (Mableton, Ga.) is the Defensive Player of the Week for matches played Aug. 24-30, it was announced today. In addition, Presbyterian College goalkeeper Alexa Garcia (Dover, N.H.) has been selected as the Freshman of the Week.
 
Bryant recorded a brace in USC Upstate’s lone match of the week, a 4-0 win over Hampton. The senior scored on two of her three shots and accounted for half of the Spartans’ goals in just 65 minutes while earning the game-winning goal. Bryant set the tone early, scoring just 3:29 into the match to give Upstate the lead. She struck again in the 39th minute, converting another opportunity to extend the Spartans’ advantage to 3-0 before halftime.
 
Trovato scored a goal and helped anchor a USC Upstate defense that held Hampton to just two shots on goal in the Spartans’ 4-0 shutout win over the Pirates on Sunday. The senior found the back of the net in the 58th minute, extending Upstate’s lead to 4-0. Trovato played all 90 minutes as the Spartans limited Hampton to two shots on target on 10 total attempts, securing their first shutout of the season.
 
Garcia posted a shutout in goal and totaled 12 saves across two matches, including a career-high seven saves against North Dakota State. The freshman made five of her seven stops in the second half against NDSU, including a final denial with less than 10 minutes remaining to help Presbyterian preserve a scoreless draw on the road. Earlier in the week, Garcia recorded five saves on 13 shots faced at North Dakota, setting a then-career high. She allowed just two goals across 180 minutes and finished the week with a .857 save percentage.
 
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Bailey Altizer (Longwood), Claira Anderson (Radford), and Zaria Winston (Winthrop).
 
Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Abril Montiel (Gardner-Webb) and Sarah Olson (Longwood).
 
Also nominated for Freshman of the Week: Abril Montiel (Gardner-Webb) and Addison Russell (Longwood).