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Padgett named SoCon Player of the Week
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG sophomore forward Tabitha Padgett was named the Southern Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Week for games Sept. 27-Oct. 3, the league office announced Tuesday.
The reigning SoCon Co-Player of the Year, Padgett broke out of a six-game goal-scoring drought in a big way this weekend, scoring four goals and adding three assists in helping UNCG sweep Georgia Southern and Davidson.
With the 11-point weekend, she is now up to 17 for the season, just two shy of her total from all of last year. The Orange Park, Fla., native now leads the SoCon with 1.55 points per game.
Against the Eagles on Friday, Padgett had a goal and two assists, marking just the second time in her career that she had had multiple assists in one game. She assisted on what would prove to be the game-winning goal.
Padgett, who was also the SoCon Freshman of the Year last season, was even better Sunday against Davidson, as she had a hand in all four UNCG goals. She recorded her first career hat trick in the process, scoring what would be the game-winner in the 29th minute, then assisting on UNCG's next goal early in the second half. She scored a pair of insurance goals just 1:22 apart in the final 10 minutes to put the game out of reach.
Prior to Sunday, Padgett had never scored multiple goals in a collegiate game.
The award is the first of its kind for Padgett in her career. She is the second UNCG women's soccer student-athlete to take the honor this season, as teammate Kelsey Kearney was the league's player of the week for the first week of the season.
The Spartans are off to the best start in school history at 9-1-1 overall, including a 4-0-0 mark in SoCon play thus far. UNCG's .864 winning percentage is tied for 10th nationally.
UNCG, which moved up to No. 21 in this week's Soccer America poll, returns to action Friday against The Citadel. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at UNCG Soccer Stadium. Admission is free.
2010 SoCon Women's Soccer Players of the
Week
Aug. 31
Kelsey Kearney, UNCG
Sept. 7 Kaley
Blanton, Samford
Sept. 14 Alyssa
Whitehead, Samford
Sept. 21 Amy
Loughran, The Citadel
Sept. 28 Sarah
Schaidle, College of Charleston
Oct.
5
Tabitha Padgett, UNCG
- UNCG -
