Women's Soccer: Everrett, Cocchi Earn Awards
September 11, 2006 05:28 PM | General
September 11, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University women’s soccer players Deana Everrett and Natalie Cocchi have both been named BIG EAST players of the week for their performances in WVU’s two victories over No. 7 Penn State and St. Bonaventure this weekend.
Everrett tallied three goals and one assist on the weekend to earn Offensive BIG EAST honors, while Cocchi scored one goal and picked up an assist in a pair of weekend wins to garner BIG EAST Defensive player honors.
Cocchi, a native of Ocean Township, N.J., not only did her duty on the defensive end against Penn State, but also got forward to score a goal off of a corner kick to put the Mountaineers up 1-0 in the 43rd minute.
With West Virginia leading 1-0, Everrett scored what would be the game-winning goal in the 50th minute to upset the Nittany Lions 2-1, and break their 16-game home unbeaten streak. The win also broke Penn State’s string of 20 consecutive games without a loss against a ranked opponent.
Everrett, a native of Oakville, Ontario, was back in action on Sunday against the Bonnies as she scored two goals and assisted on another as WVU netted a school-record eight goals while shutting out St. Bonaventure, 8-0. Cocchi’s assist came in the second half when she flicked on a header to Krystle Kallman who headed the ball into the net for the Mountaineers.
Cocchi has three goals and two assists on the year despite being a defender while Everrett has a team-high seven goals through six games.
West Virginia (6-0) is off to its best start in school history and moved up three spots from ninth to sixth in the Soccer America poll. WVU also moved up two more spots from 10th to eighth in the Soccer Buzz rankings. West Virginia’s highest-ever ranking in any poll came on Nov. 4, 2002, when WVU was ranked fourth by Soccer Buzz.
The Mountaineers have now been ranked in at least one major poll 44 of the last 46 weeks and are now ranked atop of the Mid-Atlantic region in Soccer Buzz ahead of Virginia and Penn State.
West Virginia opens BIG EAST play against rival Pitt on Friday, Sept. 15, at 7 p.m., at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium.
