INDIANAPOLIS – Three teams have locked in their playoff bids as Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Soccer Players of the Week awards continued with Monday afternoon’s announcement.
Findlay, Ashland and Cedarville, all officially clinched a spot in the six-team championship bracket with their cumulative point totals in the league standings.
The top two seeds will receive byes in this year’s conference championship tournament while the No. 1 seed will also host the final four which includes the semifinals and title match. The winner will once again receive an AQ into the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
The first edition of the Midwest Region rankings are scheduled to be published by the NCAA on Wednesday afternoon. Ten teams will be ranked while eight programs from the region will be selected for the national tournament field.
Offensive Player of the Week
Addie Erslan
Cedarville
Forward
Freshman
Chillicothe, OH (Chillicothe HS)
The Yellow Jackets went on their Southern swing to Trevecca Nazarene and Kentucky Wesleyan to earn six points in the conference standings and clinch a spot in the postseason.
Erslan was a bright spot and a focal point on the offensive side in both Cedarville victories, chipping in one goal in each contest.
The freshman delivered the game winner in the 86th minute in Nashville, sending the Yellow Jackets over the Trojans, 2-1. Erslan snapped a 1-1 tie late in regulation when it looked like both teams would be going into overtime.
It was Erslan’s lone shot of the game. The Yellow Jackets pitched a shutout over Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday as Erslan contributed to the cause with her fifth goal of the fall.
Erslan scored relatively early in the second half on a double assist from Lisi Williamson and Mary Kate Wyer, who scored earlier in the match. Erslan is now one of six players in the conference with five goals this year as Cedarville improved to 9-4-2 overall.
Defensive Player of the Week
Alaina Behnke
Ohio Dominican
Defense
Senior
Lima, OH (Lima Shawnee HS)
The Panthers are on a five-game win streak and on paper, are the next in line in the league standings to lock in a playoff berth tied with Trevecca Nazarene with 20 points.
Ohio Dominican has pitched five consecutive shutouts with the most recent body of work coming on the road at Kentucky Wesleyan and Trevecca Nazarene.
Behnke was the 2021 spring conference defensive player of the year and the Panthers were on lockdown mode while permitted just a combined 15 shots.
ODU’s sluggish start to the season with the team’s first win not coming until Sep. 30 is in the rearview mirror. The Panthers have a big week coming up with a home matchup against Findlay and going on the road at Malone.