(Ann Arbor, MI)The Concordia Women's Soccer team was once again recognized by the Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference. On Monday, the league announced that Julia Palushaj (SO/Northville, MI) was named the WHAC Offensive Player of the Week after scoring 4 goals last week to help the team go 1-1. Palushaj's impressive performance came away from the home turf as the Cardinals traveled to Indiana Tech on Saturday where she scored 3 goals in a convincing 5-2 win over the Warriors. This is the third time members of the women's soccer team have been recognized for their statistical performances this season. Forward, Heather Emke (SO/Novi, MI) was named Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 5th and Goalie, Maria Lulgjuraj (FR/West Bloomfield, MI) was honored as Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14th.
After a successful Freshman campaign which saw Palushaj receive WHAC Newcomer of the year, the forward has been a steady for the Cardinals this year. Coach Steve Shelton has relied on the sophomore forward to lead his attacking style of play again this year. The Cardinals are currently in the top 3 or higher in every offensive statistical category; shots, points, goals, goals per game, assists, and assists per game. With her 4 goals last week, Palushaj is now first overall in the WHAC conference with 17 goals on the season and is second in the following categories; shots (76), shots per game (5), points (35), and points per game (2.33).
The Cardinals will host national powerhouse University of Northwestern Ohio which was the NAIA national championship runner-up last year and is currently ranked #2 in the NAIA Women's Soccer Top 25 Poll. The regular season conference schedule will conclude for CUAA on Wednesday while the rest of the conference will complete their final game on Saturday. The Cardinals goals of hosting a home playoff game are still possible along with several other tie-breaker situations.
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