Oct. 10, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Nittany Lion women's soccer sophomore standout Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) bagged her third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week award the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
Hayes led the 18th-ranked Penn State squad to an easy 3-0 win at Indiana on Sunday, furthering PSU's lead in the standings to four points. The second-year sensation scored her 17th and 18th goals of the season to move into sole possession of the national lead in goals (18) and points (41).
The game-winning goal was scored in the sixth minute as Penn State won its sixth straight game, allowed Hayes to tie the record for most game winners in a single season by a PSU sophomore at seven.
Moreover, Her 41 points are the most by a Penn State student-athlete since 2005 when Tiffany Weimer tallied a school record 69 points. Weimer also scored 32 goals that year as Hayes has the most goals in a single season since that exciting, undefeated 2005 campaign.
The tally also moved Hayes into a tie for second- most goals by a PSU sophomore in a single season, matching Heidi Drummond (2001) in the stat as Hayes vaulted over Christie Welsh's 17 in 2000.
Penn State also improved its record when Hayes scores a goal to 10-1-0 on the year as the sophomore tallied her sixth multi-goal game of the season. Hayes has tallied a point in 11 of Penn State's 15 matches this year.
Hayes's third Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week recognition represents the fourth Penn State award on offense, including Ali Schaefer's (Las Vegas, Nev.) accolade on Sept. 26. The last Nittany Lion athlete to win three player of the week honors in the same season was Alyssa Naeher and Katie Schoepfer in 2009, with four and three, respectively.
The Nittany Lions look to continue their momentum in Big Ten play when they host Nebraska on Friday at 8:00 p.m. on Jeffrey Field before facing Iowa at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
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--NITTANY LIONS--