Sanders Named C-USA DPOW
9/24/2018 3:10:00 PM | Women's Soccer
IRVING — North Texas senior defender Carissa Sanders was named this week's Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week after scoring a goal at Southern Miss and leading a Mean Green defense to shutting out the conference's top goal scoring offense.
The Denton native and UNT captain credited entire defense for playing as a unit in the team's 3-0 win at USM.
"Defense comes easy when we're all working together," Sanders said. "Coach (John) Hedlund did a good job of preparing us for key players to watch. We were able to shut them down and play our game."
One of the key players Sanders and the Mean Green defense shutdown in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was the Golden Eagles' Miah Zuazua who entered their matchup as the conference's No. 2 goal scorer. Zuazua finished the game with one shot attempt. USM as a team had three total and only one on goal, which was an easy save for North Texas goalie Kelsey Brann.
Prior to the game Southern Miss was averaging 3.5 goals per match.
As a defender, Sanders doesn't get many opportunities play near the net and score. However, early in Thursday's match she was asked to play up and helped the offense by crowding the box. When a pass from classmate Aaliyah Nolan came Sanders' way she fired away and scored on her only shot attempt of the day. The goal came in the 20th minute and gave North Texas a 1-0 lead.
Thursday was Sanders' 71st career start in her 74th career game played. It was her second career goal on what was just her sixth career shot attempt.
"I was super excited to score a goal," Sanders said. "My goal when I was a freshman was to get at least one goal in my collegiate career. So it's rewarding to have gotten another, especially for what was the first conference game of the season."
Thursday's match was the only game North Texas played last week as its scheduled Sunday match at Middle Tennessee was canceled due to wet field conditions.
Sanders is the second Mean Green defender to be named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week this season. She joins fellow center back Dominique James who earned the recognition on Sept. 10.
Brann was named the C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 20.
North Texas' defense has been outstanding this season, allowing only three goals through the team's first eight games, giving them a goals-against average of .365, which is tied for the tenth-best in the nation.
In C-USA, the next fewest goals allowed by a team is 10. Five of UNT's six wins thus far this season have come via a shutout.
The Mean Green return to Denton this week to host UT-San Antonio at Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
The Denton native and UNT captain credited entire defense for playing as a unit in the team's 3-0 win at USM.
"Defense comes easy when we're all working together," Sanders said. "Coach (John) Hedlund did a good job of preparing us for key players to watch. We were able to shut them down and play our game."
One of the key players Sanders and the Mean Green defense shutdown in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, was the Golden Eagles' Miah Zuazua who entered their matchup as the conference's No. 2 goal scorer. Zuazua finished the game with one shot attempt. USM as a team had three total and only one on goal, which was an easy save for North Texas goalie Kelsey Brann.
Prior to the game Southern Miss was averaging 3.5 goals per match.
As a defender, Sanders doesn't get many opportunities play near the net and score. However, early in Thursday's match she was asked to play up and helped the offense by crowding the box. When a pass from classmate Aaliyah Nolan came Sanders' way she fired away and scored on her only shot attempt of the day. The goal came in the 20th minute and gave North Texas a 1-0 lead.
Thursday was Sanders' 71st career start in her 74th career game played. It was her second career goal on what was just her sixth career shot attempt.
"I was super excited to score a goal," Sanders said. "My goal when I was a freshman was to get at least one goal in my collegiate career. So it's rewarding to have gotten another, especially for what was the first conference game of the season."
Thursday's match was the only game North Texas played last week as its scheduled Sunday match at Middle Tennessee was canceled due to wet field conditions.
Sanders is the second Mean Green defender to be named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week this season. She joins fellow center back Dominique James who earned the recognition on Sept. 10.
Brann was named the C-USA Goalkeeper of the Week on Aug. 20.
North Texas' defense has been outstanding this season, allowing only three goals through the team's first eight games, giving them a goals-against average of .365, which is tied for the tenth-best in the nation.
In C-USA, the next fewest goals allowed by a team is 10. Five of UNT's six wins thus far this season have come via a shutout.
The Mean Green return to Denton this week to host UT-San Antonio at Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
Players Mentioned
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
/ Women's Soccer
Forward
/ Women's Soccer
Defense
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