Crane, Gress and Ayscue Earn B1G and National Weekly HonorsCrane, Gress and Ayscue Earn B1G and National Weekly Honors

Crane, Gress and Ayscue Earn B1G and National Weekly Honors

Nicole Crane earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, Mackenzie Gress was tabbed Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week and Bella Ayscue was named an honorable mention to TopDrawerSoccer’s National Team of the Week

ROSEMONT, Ill. - Three members of Penn State women’s soccer picked up weekly recognition on Tuesday. Redshirt freshman forward Nicole Crane garnered Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors following a seven-point week that featured the 26th hat trick in program history. Following two clean sheets, redshirt senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Gress secured Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Week recognition. Junior defender Bella Ayscue earned an honorable mention on the TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week following a one-goal and two-assist stretch. 

Crane B1G OPOTW 10

NICOLE CRANE – BIG TEN OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK 

  • Crane recorded the 26th hat trick in Penn State women’s soccer history in the Nittany Lions’ 6-0 dismantling of Brown on August 30.  
  • Crane registered her first goal of the contest, and her career, after freshman forward Olivia Robinson blocked a Brown pass attempt that sailed over the keeper’s head for a tap in. 
  • Just a few minutes later, Ayscue lined up a free kick that connected with Crane for a perfectly placed header off the crossbar and into the net. 
  • The Glen Rock, New Jersey native earned the hat trick with a rocket of a shot from inside the box thanks to some perfectly played balls by freshman forward Marthe Hens and senior defender Kaelyn Wolfe. 
  • She scored on all three shots she took in a highly efficient performance against the Bears. 
  • Crane tallied the first point of her career against Bucknell as she assisted a goal scored by Wolfe. 
  • The seven-point week moved Crane to a tie with Aubrey Kulpa for the most points on the team.
Mack B1G GKOTW 10

MACKENZIE GRESS – BIG TEN GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK 

  • Gress started in net for both of Penn State's shutout victories against Bucknell and Brown this past week. 
  • The Lyndhurst, New Jersey native made three saves in the 5-0 win over Bucknell before tallying a two-save outing in the 6-0 triumph over Brown.  
  • In both matches, she was relieved by freshman Lily Selvy late in the second half as Gress would pick up victories for both contests. 
Ayscue TDS TOTW 2

BELLA AYSCUE – TDS NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK HONORABLE MENTION 

  • Ayscue earned TopDrawerSoccer National Team of the Week Honorable Mention honors after a four-point week in which she scored a goal and tallied two assists. 
  • In the victory over Bucknell, Ayscue recorded an assist on the opening goal of the contest, scored by freshman midfielder Paige Pasinski. The helper set up Pasinski’s first collegiate score. 
  • The Apex, North Carolina native posted a three-point performance in the win against Brown. She scored the match’s first goal on a penalty kick that was too quick for the Bears’ keeper to stop. Later in the contest, Ayscue sent a beautiful free kick down the field to Crane, who headed in her second of three goals. 

Penn State women’s soccer concludes a three-match homestand and nonconference play when the Nittany Lions host Virginia Tech at Jeffrey Field on Thursday. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (ET) with a live stream on B1G+. 

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Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State women’s soccer. Fans can keep up to date with the Nittany Lion women’s soccer team on X and Instagram @PennStateWSOC, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at /PSUWomensSoccer.