PULLMAN, Wash. - On the backs of big time goals and clutch saves, juniors
Morgan Weaver and
Rachel Thompson earned their second Pac-12 weekly player of the week awards as announced by the conference office Tuesday afternoon. Weaver was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week while Thompson took home the distinction of the Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Week after leading the Cougars to a win over Cal (4-2) and a draw with No. 1 Stanford (1-1, 2OT). The two earned their first awards of the season nearly one month prior in conference play on Sept. 25 after leading the Cougars to a 1-0 upset of then No. 8 UCLA on the road to begin the Pac-12 slate of games. For WSU, the two weekly awards were the teams seventh and eighth honors of the season and first since
Maegan O'Neill was named Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 25.
Leading the Cougars attack over the weekend, Weaver caught fire scoring two goals and assisting on two more. The star forward kicked her weekend off with a bang against Cal Thursday night as she assisted on the first goal of the contest before scoring late in the first half to put WSU ahead for the first time. She would help put the Bears away late in the second half of play with her second assist of the night to produce the first multi-assist match of her career. With one game down, Weaver put the Cougars' offense on her back against the top team in the country, scoring the game-tying goal in the 77' of play in what would eventually earn the draw for WSU. Weaver's constant effort and pressure in the backfield forced an uncharacteristic mistake by the Cardinal defense creating a turnover and the scoring opportunity. The goal was the first given up by the Cardinal since Sept. 27 against UCLA. Additionally, the goal was the ninth of the season for Weaver, a career-best mark for the third-year Cougar.
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Coming up big when the lights are brightest, Thompson's performance against the Cardinal alone earned the Alaskan native her second career weekly award from the Pac-12. Facing the best team in the country, Thompson racked up nine saves in net, tying her career best mark set previous on the road in the WSU's 1-0 upset of UCLA on Sept. 21 in Los Angeles. Thompson set the tone early for the Cougars, stoning a two-woman break behind the defensive line in the 2'. Thompson's performance in net gave the Cougars' their first points against a No. 1 ranked team in nine attempts all-time. Additionally, Thompson's draw held Stanford to just one point in the standings in conference play for the first time in two seasons. Overall on the weekend, Thompson finished with 10 total saves and went 1-0-1 to grab her sixth career victory.Â
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The Cougars finish the regular season Friday, Nov. 2 against Washington at Lower Soccer Field. The Boeing Apple Cup Series contest is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network
