Lena Silano, Long Beach State  Women’s Soccer Offensive Player of the Week  Senior • Forward • Aguora Hills, Calif.

• Lena Silano totaled 12 points from five goals and two assists to direct first-place Long Beach State to a pair of comfortable wins this past week, as the Beach booked their spot in the 2022 Big West Women’s Soccer Championship. 

• The fifth-year forward out of Agoura Hills notched her first collegiate hat trick in a 6-1 victory at UC San Diego on Thursday night. Silano struck in the 13th and 23rd minutes as LBSU built a hefty 4-1 advantage by halftime. Silano completed the ninth hat trick in program history to cap the scoring in the 77th minute, having assisted on Cherrie Cox’s tally just moments before. 

• Then during Sunday night’s 4-1 home defeat of CSUN that clinched a postseason trip for the Beach, Silano produced a two-goal brace on either side of the halftime interval, the initial score serving as the game winner after already helping to set up Summer Laskey’s 33rd-minute opener. Silano finished with a career-high 13 shots, a new school record. 

• Silano continues to top The Big West in both goals and total points with 14 and 34, respectively, ranking fourth nationally in each category. Silano is now also alone in first with six assists. All three numbers are career bests. For her college days, Silano has 60 points from 25 goals and 10 assists. 

• Silano is a three-time Big West Offensive Player of the Week for 2022 and four for her career. She remains the league’s only student-athlete with multiple offensive honors this season. Her previous awards came on Oct. 4, 2021, and Sept. 5 and Oct. 3 of this year. 

Also Nominated: Leslie Fregoso (UC Davis); Lauren Helwig (UC Santa Barbara); Braelynn Llamoca (UC Riverside); Alyssa Moore (UC Irvine); Kelci Sumida (Hawai’i)

Mackenzie Samuel, Cal Poly  Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week  Sophomore • Goalkeeper • San Diego, Calif.

• Cal Poly goalkeeper Mackenzie Samuel posted back-to-back shutouts to earn Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors as the Mustangs went 1-0-1 away from home to remain tied for second in the league table with Cal State Fullerton. 

• The sophomore San Diego product played all 180 minutes and was credited with three saves in Thursday’s 1-0 victory at UC Riverside, and four more in Sunday’s scoreless draw with the host Titans. Samuel faced a total of 14 shots for the week, including 10 in Fullerton. 

• Samuel now has kept a season-best four consecutive clean sheets for a current shutout stretch of 366:25, and is tied for the conference lead with seven on the year. She is third in save percentage (.778). 

• Samuel is a two-time Big West weekly award winner, having previously been the Big West Freshman of the Week a season ago on Oct. 11, 2021. Samuel is Cal Poly’s first defensive honoree since Nov. 4, 2019. 

Also Nominated: Hollee Hercik (CSU Bakersfield); Glo Hinojosa (UC Irvine); Jayde Holley (UC Davis); Maddy Perez (Long Beach State); Mia Ranson (Cal State Fullerton)

Cherrie Cox, Long Beach State  Women’s Soccer Freshman of the Week  Freshman • Midfielder • Torrance, Calif.

• Cherrie Cox totaled seven points from two goals and three assists as first-place Long Beach State outscored opponents 10-2 over two victories and clinched a berth in the 2022 Big West Championship. 

• In Thursday’s 6-1 win at UC San Diego, the true freshman midfielder out of Torrance assisted on the third goal, Lena Silano’s first of three in the 13th minute. Silano then returned the favor as Cox nabbed the Beach’s fifth in the 74th minute. 

• Sunday’s 4-1 defeat of visiting CSUN saw Cox aid in setting up the first two goals, including what served as the winner in the 39th, before tallying LBSU’s third to put the result out of doubt just before halftime. 

• Cox wound up with 10 shots, five of them on goal, over the two starts. She now ranks first among all Big West freshmen in goals (five), assists (five) and total points (15). Twelve of those 15 points have come in October, as Cox has found the back of the net in four consecutive games. 

• This is Cox’s second Big West Freshman of the Week award, having previously been honored on Sept 5.

Also Nominated: Anela Nigito (CSU Bakersfield); Mia Ranson (Cal State Fullerton)

2022 Big West Women's Soccer Weekly Winners