KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 13, 2021) – United Soccer Coaches announced its College Player of the Week awards on Wednesday afternoon, with seven student-athletes representing NCAA Division I, II, III, and NJCAA men’s and women’s soccer.
NCAA Division I Men: Jacob Williams (Navy)
NCAA Division I Women: Brie Severns (Kansas)
NCAA Division II Men: Sebastian Bertilsson (Mars Hill)
NCAA Division II Women: Hannah Kelley-Lusk (West Texas A&M)
NCAA Division III Men: Ryan Tahbaz (Chatham)
NCAA Division III Women: Mary Jo Murphy (UMass-Boston)
Junior College Men: Zero nominations received
Junior College Women: Ravynne Wilson (Holmes CC)
This week’s College Player of the Week crop features our first repeat winner of the 2021 season: DIII women’s selection, Mary Jo Murphy (Worcester, Mass.) of UMass-Boston. The defender was named LEC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2021 after totalling four goals and one assist in a 2-0-0 week for the Beacons. The senior scored two goals, including the game-winner in a 6-2 non-conference win at Salve Regina, before scoring three goals and setting up another in a 5-1 conference triumph at Rhode Island College to cap the week. Murphy now has team-leading totals of 10 goals, seven assists and 27 points to her credit this season, each of which rank her second in the LEC.
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In men’s DI action, senior forward Jacob Williams (Millersville, Md.) led Navy to a 3-0 victory over Army to earn his first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week nod of the season, netting Navy’s first hat trick since 2012. Additionally, the three-goal effort by Williams marked the Midshipmen’s first hat trick against Army since 1999. On the season, the senior leads the team in goals (5), game-winning scores (3), total shots (50) and shots on goal (20) while ranking second in points (11) and tied for third in assists (1).
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On the women’s side of DI action, second-year Kansas forward Brie Severns (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) had a massive week against two ranked opponents. She scored the game-winners in both wins for the Jayhawks last week, including the golden goal against No. 9 WVU with seven seconds left in the second overtime. She provided the assist for the first goal against the Mountaineers on Sunday and set up the first goal against the Bears by drawing a foul inside the box for a teammate to execute the penalty kick. Kansas earned victories over two ranked opponents in the same week for the first time in program history.
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The men’s DII honor this week goes to Mars Hill forward, Sebastian Bertilsson. The senior from Falkenberg, Sweden, was a dominate force for the Lions this week, as he led them to a pair of victories. He scored two goals in Mars Hill’s 3-2 win over Lees-McRae and then added a goal and two assists in the Lions’ 4-3 win over Coker. For the week he had three goals and two assists for eight points.
In women’s DII, Hannah Kelley-Lusk (Farmington, N.M.) was named the Lone Star Conference Offensive Player of the Week after finding the back of the net five times last week as the Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M improved to 8-2-0 overall and 4-1-0 in Lone Star Conference play. She started the week with her second hat trick of the season against a Lubbock Christian squad that had only allowed four goals in their previous eight games. She opened the scoring in the 5th minute followed by a pair of second half goals en route to becoming the third player in program history to eclipse 100 career points. In Saturday’s 5-4 overtime victory over UT Tyler, Kelley-Lusk scored a brace including the golden goal in the 100th minute to go along with her fifth assist of the season.
In men’s DIII soccer, Chatham senior forward Ryan Tahbaz (Los Angeles, CA) led the Cougars to a perfect week in conference play with six goals and an assist. He earned the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Offensive Player of the Week and his 24 points (8G, 8A) lead the conference.
In the NJCAA, Holmes Community College forward Ravynne Wilson (Meridian, Miss.) led the No. 2 ranked team in the country to two shutout wins with three goals and two assists. There were no nominations in men’s NJCAA competition.
Each Wednesday during the college regular season, United Soccer Coaches selects a men’s and women’s Player of the Week for NCAA Divisions I, II, and III and Junior College competition based on nominations from schools and conferences. Nominations are due every Tuesday by 10 a.m. CT to be considered.