WEEK 10 2023 RUNDOWN – Eclipse Select Alumni

With the regular season coming to a close, many of our alumni are emerging as integral components of their teams as we enter playoffs. Major storylines include 4x Big Ten Freshman of the Week Bella Najera (St. Charles, IL.) and junior centerback Emma Phillips (Munster, IN.) Helping the Spartans earn their second consecutive Big Ten Conference Championship with a goal and assist in their latest games against Illinois (2-1) and Iowa (3-0), Najera is now tied for leading the team in points with 7 goals and 4 assists on the season thus far. Leading the team in minutes played with 1,611 and coming in at 4th place for Northwestern’s point leaders, Phillips found her 7th goal Thursday night with a spectacular buzzer-beater to push the Wildcats to a 3-0 victory over Minnesota – doubling her record from last season and then some. Looking forward to seeing these B1G players continue to do big things! 


GOALSCORERS

Senior Brennan Rzewuski (Lombard, IL.) scored his first goal of the season on Wednesday during Drake’s match against Bradley. Down by two with under a minute on the clock, Rzewuski was able to put one away to close the gap before ending in a score of 1-2. Ella Richards (Chicago, IL.) notched her 7th of the year and 2nd consecutive goal during the Eagles road game vs. Wake Forest Thursday. Finding the ball in the box at the 19th-minute mark, Richards was able to get BC on the board first before ending in a 1-1 tie. Midfielder Laura Butler (Chicago, IL.) scored her third of the season Friday during the Colorado Mines’ home match against New Mexico Highlands. Just 51 seconds into the game from a near impossible angle outside the 18, Butler was able to put away the Mines’s first chance of the game – later ending in a final victory of 5-0. Junior Arianna Lombardi (Bourbonnais, IL.) put up goals in both of the Pioneers games this past week against Whitewater (1-0) and Stevens Point (4-2). With the stand-alone goal in the sixth minute vs. Whitewater and the match’s final goal in the 79th minute at Stevens Point, Lombardi has pushed her scoring record to 8 – notching points in 3 out of the last 4 games. Sophomore Tommy Coughlin (Crystal Lake, IL.) put up his first career goal for Green Bay Saturday vs. IUPUI. With 7 minutes remaining in the tied-up game, Coughlin slammed home the game-winning shot to top the Jaguars 2-1. Katie O’Malley (Western Springs, IL.) added another goal to her stat sheet Thursday during Illinois State’’s home game against the UIC Flames. 57 minutes in, a chip shot over the keeper from O’Malley put the Redbirds on the board and marked her second of the season. 


PLAYMAKERS

Senior defender Martin Murillo (Addison, IL.) notched his first-ever assist with Purdue Northwest during their home matchup Friday vs. Saginaw Valley. Creating the scoring opportunity just 6 minutes after their first goal, Murillo’s assist in the 31st minute gave the Pride a second and final goal over the Cardinals – ending in a final victory of 2-0. Senior forward Allison Rapaduski (Algonquin, IL.) notched her first assist of the year during UND’s intense Senior Day matchup vs. Denver. Down by one with under a minute left in the game, the Fighting Hawks were able to punch a header goal home to tie the game at 3 off of Rapaduski’s perfectly placed corner kick. Kennedy Berschel (Bensenville, IL.) put up her second assist of the season during the Illini’s home game against Nebraska. Moving the ball down the field with under 2 minutes left in regulation, Berschel and the Illini were able to convert for one last goal before ending in a score of 2-4. Junior forward Mia Sedgewick (Wilmette, IL.) found her first assist of the season during MIT’s game vs. WPI. Picking up the ball in the 42nd minute, Sedgwick set up the Beavers’ second goal to extend their lead before ending in a victory of 4-0. Jenna Stayart (Cary, IL.) logged her first assist of the season Sunday during the Vols competitive matchup with Texas A&M. 47 minutes into the match, Stayart’s pass across the box was buried into the net to regain the Volunteers lead before ending in a final score of 3-4. Bella Diorio (Lockport, IL.) earned her third assist of the season last night in TCU’s matchup with Texas. Tied at one and nearing the end of the half, Diorio’s free-kick service into the box was converted into a goal to give the Frogs the lead at halftime.


NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

Junior keeper Gandhi Cruz (Dundee Crown, IL.) came up big for the Blue Devils in their matchup Wednesday with Marquette. Making 9 huge saves on 25 shots faced, Gandhi’s performance in goal helped Depaul to a 3-3 tie. Goalkeeper Lauren Boafo (Hanover Park, IL.) and the Broncos put forth great performances in their matches this past weekend – taking home a pair of wins against Kent State (2-0) and Buffalo (4-1). Putting up a total of 7 saves on 15 shots faced across the two games, Western Michigan has increased their unbeaten streak to 10 games. Junior keeper Payton Cahill (Cottage Grove, MN.) gave great performances in both of the Deacons games this last week. Coming up with 2 saves on 7 shots faced vs. both Boston College (1-1) and Louisville (1-0), Cahill remains unbeaten in goal for Wake Forest in all 6 games she has played in. 

 

Over 100 Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumni, both male and female, are rostered across every level of college soccer at Division I, II, III, and NAIA. There are 34 alumni designated as freshmen entering their first year of college. The remaining includes 31 sophomores, 36 juniors, 19 seniors, and one graduate student with an additional year of eligibility.