Six MAAC Student-Athletes Named Corvias ECAC Players of the Week
MAAC Sports
EDISON, NJ – Six Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) student-athletes were selected by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) for their efforts on the court, on the field and on the track for the week ending on September 6.
Siena’s Junior Rosero was named the men’s soccer offensive player of week. Rosero totaled five points on two goals and an assist for the Saints last week against America East powers Hartford and New Hampshire. Against Hartford, he netted the game-tying goal in the 83rd minute to earn Siena a 1-1 tie. Rosero then posted a multi-point performance with a goal and an assist as the Saints earned a draw with a red-hot Wildcats squad that had won its first two matches.
Rider’s David Pastuna was named men’s soccer defensive player of the week. Pastuna recorded seven saves for Rider in a week which the Broncs went 2-0. He notched the shutout against Saint Joseph’s in a 4-0 win. Against the Seton Hall Pirates, he posted three big saves to preserve the Broncs’ 2-1 win against their in-state rivals. Pastuna finished the week with a .054 goals against average in the two contests.
Monmouth’s Jalil Blalok was named men’s soccer rookie of the week. Blalock scored his first two collegiate goals in Monmouth’s win over Howard University on Sunday. The freshman opened his account with a goal in the 27th minute, and then tacked on a second when his volley found the net from 20 yards out in the Hawks’ convincing 5-0 triumph.
Manhattan’s Erica Modena was named the women’s soccer offensive player of the week. Modena scored four goals on the week to help lead Manhattan to a pair of shutout victories. The junior midfielder notched her first goal of the week in 4-0 victory at NJIT on Sept. 3. Modena then added her first-career hat trick in a 3-0 win at previously-unbeaten Lafayette College on Sept. 6. With her four goals, she now has a MAAC-best five on the year after missing most of last season due to injury.
Siena's Kalehua Katagiri was named the libero of the week. Katagiri averaged 4.1 digs in two non-league road matches. She registered 23 digs in a tight four-set loss at regional power Hofstra, and also posted a perfect 1.000 reception percentage, receiving 27 services without a reception error. Katagiri then collected nine digs in a comfortable sweep of Hartford and had just one reception error in 22 chances. On the week, Katagiri totaled 29 digs and four assists with a stellar .979 reception percentage.
On the track, Iona’s Xavier King was named runner of the week. King led the Iona College men's cross country team to a first-place finish at the 2015 Marist Season Opener at Vassar Farms. King finished first individually and led a quartet of Gaels who finished in the top six of the race. King completed the 6-kilometer event in 18:53.1, topping Marist's Spencer Johnson by more than 13 seconds.