INDIANAPOLIS – Thirteen teams started their season as the first edition of Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Players of the Week honors rolled out on Monday afternoon.
Three conference games were wrapped up as Cedarville, Ursuline and Ursuline, stand tall winning the league openers for three points in the standings. Findlay and Kentucky Wesleyan battled to a double-overtime scoreless draw as well.
Conference play resumes on Tuesday and picks up with a heavy dose on Thursday with six Great Midwest games scheduled.
Offensive Player of the Week
Odessa Strizzi
Ursuline
Forward
Freshman
Ottawa, Ontario (John McRae Secondary School)
Strizzi was among a handful of talented players who had two goals on the week, but a game winner in overtime of the first conference game helped push her over the top.
Strizzi scored in the Arrows’ season-opening victory against Wheeling Jesuit with a goal in the 16th minute of regulation.
She capitalized in the opening seconds in double overtime with her second goal of the young season in the 100th minute on an assist from Brooke Mahabir. Strizzi fired off six shots in her first two games on the field.
Defensive Player of the Week
Mickey McClanahan
Walsh
Goalkeeper
Junior
Franklin, OH (Bishop Fenwick HS)
In short order, McClanahan has become a regular on the list for her prowess protecting the net and the Walsh women’s soccer program racking up shutouts at a dizzying pace.
The Cavaliers celebrated two more blankings to start the year with McClanahan receiving both decisions in goal.
Walsh pitched a 2-0 shutout against Southern Indiana and recorded a 5-0 decision to start conference play vs. Lake Erie. Both Walsh women’s wins were on the road.
McClanahan made three saves and preserved a late lead as the Cavaliers broke open a scoreless contest in the 76th minute. She made three more saves against the Storm as the Cavaliers opened up the scoring towards the end of the first half.
This is her third Great Midwest defensive weekly honor since Walsh joined the league in 2017.