FARMINGTON, Utah (Oct. 10, 2023) – For the eighth time this season the Big Sky Conference office has announced its weekly soccer titles, which this time around have been awarded to Portland State and Sacramento State.
Offensive Player of the Week: Sienna Higinbotham, Portland State
For helping lead her team to an explosive weekend offensively, along with staying on top of the Big Sky standings, Portland State’s Sienna Higinbotham has been named Offensive Player of the Week.
Higinbotham helped lead the Vikings to two victories against Idaho and Eastern Washington over the weekend, scoring three goals including two game-winners.
On Friday, Higinbotham scored the game-winning goal in the 71st minute over Idaho, and on Sunday, she scored a brace against EWU, including the game-winning goal in the 25th minute.
PSU currently resides on top of the Big Sky standings with 13 points.
Others Nominated: Alexis Simpson (WSU), Maddie Shafer (NAU), Jadyn Hanks (UI)
Defensive Player of the Week: Erika Tilford, Sacramento State
Leading her Hornets squad in a strong defensive effort all weekend, SAC’s Erika Tilford has been named Defensive Player of the Week.
In addition to her work on the back line for the Hornets, Tilford added the game-winning goal in her team's 1-0 win over Eastern Washington, converting a penalty in the second half for her first collegiate goal.
She spearheaded a defense that limited the Eagles to 10 total shots (compared to 21 for the Hornets) and only four on frame. Two days later, SAC held Idaho to just six of 16 shots on frame in a 1-0 loss, while contributing a pair of shot attempts of her own over 90 minutes.
Others Nominated: Ashlyn Dvorak (UM), Hadley Harris (WSU), Trinity Corcoran (NAU), Natalie Cunningham (PSU), Alyssa Peters (UI)
Previous Winners
Week Seven – October 3
Offensive: Allison Veloz, Northern Arizona
Defensive: Ashlyn Dvorak, Montana
Week Six – September 26
Offensive: Abigail Lopez, Sacramento State
Defensive: Alyssa Peters, Idaho
Week Five – September 19
Offensive: Raniyah Burton, Portland State
Defensive: Ashlyn Dvorak, Montana
Week Four - September 12
Offensive: Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington
Defensive: Kelsey Jargstorf, Idaho State & Joey Lujan, Northern Arizona
Week Three – September 5, 2023
Offensive: Maddie Morgan, Eastern Washington
Defensive: Ashlyn Dvorak, Montana
Week Two – August 29, 2023
Offensive: Maysa Walters, Montana
Defensive: Kira Witte, Idaho
Week One – August 22, 2023
Offensive: Delaney Lou Schorr, Montana & Maddie Shafer, Northern Arizona
Defensive: Molly Quarry, Montana
2023 Championship Information
The 2023 Big Sky Soccer Championships will be hosted on Nov. 1, 3, and 5 on the campus of the Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz. The top six teams in the conference regular season standings advance to the championship.
The winner of the championship receives the Big Sky’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Flagstaff will serve as the host city for the first time since 2010 when the Lumberjacks won the regular season championship. The host institution hasn’t won the postseason tournament since 2019 when Northern Colorado won on their home grass.
All matches from Flagstaff will stream live on ESPN+
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