MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (October 10, 2017) – Senior forward Michaela Abam of the West Virginia University women’s soccer team has been named the Big 12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Additionally, the Mountaineers moved up one spot to No. 7 in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Poll.
A Houston native, today’s honor is the first of the season for Abam. The reigning co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, she has earned the accolade three previous times throughout her career.
Abam tallied three points in 39 seconds in WVU’s 5-1 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 8. She put the Mountaineers on the board in the 19th minute, connecting on her team-best fourth goal of the season. Seconds later, she set-up senior forward Heather Kaleiohi’s game-winning goal.
A 2016 NSCAA All-America Second Team honoree, Abam paces the team with 11 points (4 G, 3 A), the seventh-best total in the Big 12. Three of her four scores have been game-winners, and she ranks No. 3 in the conference.
Abam shows 88 career points and ranks No. 6 in program history. She also sits at No. 5 with 36 career goals.
Of note, Abam also was named an honorable mention for the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
The Mountaineers (11-3, 4-1) moved up in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the third straight week following a 2-0 showing in their home Big 12 Conference slate, defeating No. 19 Oklahoma State, 1-0, on Oct. 6, before earning the win over the Sooners.
Stanford (12-1, 5-0 Pac-12) is the poll’s new No. 1 team. UCLA (11-0-2, 4-0-1 Pac-12) drops to No. 2, while South Carolina (12-1, 6-0 SEC) sits at No. 3 and Duke (13-1, 6-0 ACC) and North Carolina (10-2, 6-0 ACC) follow at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
USC (10-1-1, 4-0-1 Pac-12) ranks ahead of WVU at No. 6, and UCF (9-1-1, 5-1-1 AAC) follow the Mountaineers at No. 8. Texas (11-0-2, 3-0-2) and Florida (11-2, 5-1 SEC) round out the top 10.
WVU moved up two spots to a season-best No. 5 in this week’s NCAA RPI. South Carolina continues to rank No. 1. Stanford and North Carolina sit at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, and Duke ranks No. 4.
Princeton (11-1, 3-0 Ivy) follows WVU at No. 6, and UCF ranks No. 7. Tennessee (12-1-1, 4-1-1 SEC), Texas and UCLA round out the top 10.
The Mountaineers also rank No. 8 in this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Division I Top 25 National Rankings and No. 11 in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25.
WVU continues its five-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this weekend with a 7 p.m. match against Iowa State on Friday, Oct. 13. Fans who wear their Halloween costumes to the match will be admitted for free, and superhero masks will be handed out to all youths under 13. Additionally, all Girl Scouts in attendance will receive free admission.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.
A Houston native, today’s honor is the first of the season for Abam. The reigning co-Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, she has earned the accolade three previous times throughout her career.
Abam tallied three points in 39 seconds in WVU’s 5-1 win over Oklahoma on Oct. 8. She put the Mountaineers on the board in the 19th minute, connecting on her team-best fourth goal of the season. Seconds later, she set-up senior forward Heather Kaleiohi’s game-winning goal.
A 2016 NSCAA All-America Second Team honoree, Abam paces the team with 11 points (4 G, 3 A), the seventh-best total in the Big 12. Three of her four scores have been game-winners, and she ranks No. 3 in the conference.
Abam shows 88 career points and ranks No. 6 in program history. She also sits at No. 5 with 36 career goals.
Of note, Abam also was named an honorable mention for the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week.
The Mountaineers (11-3, 4-1) moved up in the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the third straight week following a 2-0 showing in their home Big 12 Conference slate, defeating No. 19 Oklahoma State, 1-0, on Oct. 6, before earning the win over the Sooners.
Stanford (12-1, 5-0 Pac-12) is the poll’s new No. 1 team. UCLA (11-0-2, 4-0-1 Pac-12) drops to No. 2, while South Carolina (12-1, 6-0 SEC) sits at No. 3 and Duke (13-1, 6-0 ACC) and North Carolina (10-2, 6-0 ACC) follow at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.
USC (10-1-1, 4-0-1 Pac-12) ranks ahead of WVU at No. 6, and UCF (9-1-1, 5-1-1 AAC) follow the Mountaineers at No. 8. Texas (11-0-2, 3-0-2) and Florida (11-2, 5-1 SEC) round out the top 10.
WVU moved up two spots to a season-best No. 5 in this week’s NCAA RPI. South Carolina continues to rank No. 1. Stanford and North Carolina sit at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, and Duke ranks No. 4.
Princeton (11-1, 3-0 Ivy) follows WVU at No. 6, and UCF ranks No. 7. Tennessee (12-1-1, 4-1-1 SEC), Texas and UCLA round out the top 10.
The Mountaineers also rank No. 8 in this week’s TopDrawerSoccer.com Women’s Division I Top 25 National Rankings and No. 11 in the Soccer America Women’s Top 25.
WVU continues its five-match homestand at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium this weekend with a 7 p.m. match against Iowa State on Friday, Oct. 13. Fans who wear their Halloween costumes to the match will be admitted for free, and superhero masks will be handed out to all youths under 13. Additionally, all Girl Scouts in attendance will receive free admission.
For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter.