Nov. 4, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State senior Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.) has been named the Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week, along with Iowa's Cloe Lacasse, for her efforts against Michigan State last Friday. This is the ninth Big Ten weekly honor in three seasons for Hayes.
The reigning Big Ten Forward of the year found the back of the net twice to lead the Blue and White to a 3-0 victory over the Spartans in each team's regular season finale. Hayes scored her first goal of the match in the 54th minute, blasting the ball from 16 yards out. Her second goal came at the 68:25 mark as she rebounded the ball inside the box and tapped it in.
A two-time NSCAA first team All-American, Hayes has registered 19 goals this season to go along with five assists for a Big Ten-best 43 points. The West Orange, N.J. native reached a milestone in career goals over the weekend as well, surpassing the 70-goal mark. She leads all-active players in Division I women's soccer in career goals (71) and is second in the nation in career points (162).
This week's award marks the fifth time this season that Penn State has had an athlete named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. Hayes has claimed the award three times while Raquel Rodriguez (San Jose, Costa Rice) and Whitney Church (Ashburn, Va.) have also been selected.
The Blue and White begin postseason play on Wednesday against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament. The match is slated for an 11:30 a.m. (ET) start at the Illinois Soccer Stadium in Champaign, Ill.