DALLAS – LA Tech’s Lauren Egbuloniu, along with Rice’s Jaden Roberts and Bella Killgore earned 2022 Conference USA Women’s Soccer Player of the Week honors, presented by Blenders Eyewear.
 
Egbuloniu scored both goals in a 2-1 decision over UAB, handing the Blazers their first conference loss and snapping a 10-match unbeaten streak. The Lady Techsters (7-7-3, 5-2-2 C-USA) extended their win streak to four matches, and they are set to close out the season at North Texas at 7 p.m. CT Saturday.
 
Roberts collects her first career Defensive Player of the Week award, while Killgore is tabbed the Goalkeeper of the Week for the third-straight week. The defensive duo led the Owls to a 1-0 shutout of WKU on Senior Night to set the team up to clinch its third regular-season title in six years with UAB’s loss to LA Tech. Rice (10-7, 8-0 C-USA) wraps up the regular season on the road versus Middle Tennessee at 7 p.m. Wednesday and against UAB at 1 p.m. Saturday.  
 
Offensive Player of the Week – Lauren Egbuloniu, LA Tech – Sophomore – Cork, Ireland
Egbuloniu needed just 25 minutes on the pitch to net both goals in a 2-1 win over previous conference unbeaten UAB. She got the Lady Techsters on the board in the 39^th minute with her first goal since Sept. 10, 2021, and found the back of the net for the game-winner in the 79^th minute. It marks the second straight multi-goal effort by a Lady Techster, following in the footsteps of last week’s Offensive Player of the Week Emma Jones.
 
Defensive Player of the Week – Jaden Roberts, Rice – Junior – Miramar, Fla.
Roberts led an Owls’ back line that surrendered just seven shots, including three on net, in a 1-0 shutout of WKU. On the offensive side she scored the match’s lone goal, finishing off a corner from Grace Collins with five seconds remaining in the contest. Roberts’ first career goal capped a successful Senior Night for Rice and helped the team clinch the top seed at next week’s C-USA Tournament.
 
Goalkeeper of the Week – Bella Killgore, Rice – Senior – Houston, Texas
Killgore logged her fourth-straight clean sheet and seventh on the year to three-peat as Goalkeeper of the Week, the first occurrence since North Texas’ Jackie Kerestine in 2015. She faced seven shots from the Hilltoppers and turned away all three attempts on frame. Killgore’s diving save in the 70^th minute kept the match scoreless until Roberts’ winner. Killgore earns her eighth career weekly honor, tying her with UCF’s Aline Reis for the second-most in league history.
 
2022 C-USA Offensive Players of the Week
A23      Kat Burnell, North Texas
A30      Nikole Solis, FIU
S6        Madison Drenowatz, North Texas
S13      Bailey Manfredi, Charlotte
S20      Serena Pham, Rice
S27      Olivia Klein, North Texas
O4       Bri Austin, Florida Atlantic
O11     Delaney Schultz, Rice
O18     Emma Jones, LA Tech
O25     Lauren Egbuloniu, LA Tech
 
2022 C-USA Defensive Players of the Week
A23      Asha Zuniga, UAB
A30      Sasjah Dade, UTSA
S6        Aspen Seaich, WKU
S13      Justice Tillotson, UTEP
S20      Hailey Landrus, Florida Atlantic
S27      Asha Zuniga, UAB
O4       Amanda Martin, Florida Atlantic
O11     Hannah Clark, UAB
O18     Asha Zuniga, UAB
O25     Jaden Roberts, Rice
 
2022 C-USA Goalkeepers of the Week
A23      Dani Jacobson, North Texas
A30      Sydnee Korchak, Louisiana Tech
S6        Alexis Bach, WKU
S13      Mariah Scott, UTEP
S20      Bella Killgore, Rice
S27      Brenna Murray, Charlotte
O4       Eve Beyer, UAB
O11     Bella Killgore, Rice
O18     Bella Killgore, Rice
O25     Bella Killgore, Rice