The title and tournament-clinching performances of UC Riverside sophomore Tyler Cunningham and Cal Poly sophomore Alyssa Giannetti led to Big West Women’s Soccer Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors for the duo.
Cunningham’s Two Goals Spark Postseason Berth For UC Riverside
Sophomore Tyler Cunningham (Fairfield, Calif./Rodriguez HS) earned Big West Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week honors as her two goals helped UC Riverside secure its first Big West Tournament berth since 2005.
In a must-win game, Cunningham scored early in both halves – at the 10:49 and 51:46 marks – to lead the Highlanders past Long Beach State, 2-1. The winner of that game would ultimately clinch the fourth and final playoff berth for this week’s conference tournament at Cal State Fullerton.
The two goals upped Cunningham’s season total to four, which is tops on the team. She took four shots in the game, three of which were on frame, and notched her second game-winning goal of the season.
The Highlanders entered the game just 2-7-4 all-time against the 49ers.
Others nominated: Elise Krieghoff (Cal Poly); Ashley Kawasaki (UC Davis); Natalia Ledezma (UC Irvine); Tiana Fujimoto (Hawai‘i)
Giannetti Posts Shutout In Title-Clinching Win For Cal Poly
Sophomore Alyssa Giannetti (Yorba Linda, Calif./Esperanza HS) garnered Big West Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week accolades as the goaltender posted a shutout to clinch the outright conference regular season championship for Cal Poly.
Giannetti made three saves in the 11th, 43rd and 61st minutes to squelch scoring opportunities in Cal Poly’s 1-0 victory at UC Davis. The win improved the Mustangs to 7-1 in league play, securing the program’s first regular season crown since 2009 and wrapping up the No. 1 seed in this year’s Big West Tournament.
It was Giannetti’s sixth clean sheet of the season and the seventh team shutout. The Mustangs also improved to 11-0-0 this year when taking the lead first.
Giannetti also moved into fourth on the school’s career saves list with 202.
Others nominated: Taylor Jern (UC Davis); Jordan Bruce (UC Irvine); Chelsea Miyake (Hawai‘i)