GLIAC -- The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) has announced its weekly awards following Week 8 of the 2023 men's soccer season. Davenport sophomore forward Vitalis Takawira Jr. was named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week while Parkside redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Patrick Conolly was honored as GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Vitalis Takawira Jr., Davenport
Vitalis Takawira Jr. posted strong performances against the top two opponents in the conference to help clinch the third seed in the GLIAC Tournament for Davenport University. Takawira Jr. recorded one goal against Wisconsin-Parkside that resulted in a 3-2 victory for the Panthers and assisted on both goals scored by DU in the match against Purdue Northwest (2-1). He has scored four goals this year and leads the Panther assist category with three, marking a team-high 11 points overall for the No. 6 spot in the GLIAC leaderboards.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Patrick Conolly, Parkside
Patrick Conolly secures Defensive Player of the Week after a stellar performance over the weekend. The redshirt sophomore earned his first career start in the match against Saginaw Valley State University on Sunday afternoon where the Rangers would go on to win in a 3-0 scoreline and clinch the GLIAC Regular Season Championship. Conolly tallied six crucial saves and claimed his first career clean sheet in the effort. The Rangers now have totaled four clean sheets this season.
HONORABLE MENTION
OFFENSE: Zinedine Kroeten (SCSU), Hugo Lorenzo (PNW), Casey Miller (NMU), Elliot Nottoli (SVSU), Paco Piscaglia (Parkside)
DEFENSE: Evan Baker (SVSU), George Deveau (DU), Keegan Schmidt (NMU)
