TOWSON, Md. – Junior forward Kirsten Schall of the Moravian College women's soccer team has been named the Landmark Conference Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive time.
Schall's two goals and three assists helped Moravian to a perfect 2-0 record this past week with shutout victories over Neumann University (5-0) on Tuesday and Centenary (N.J.) College (3-0) on Saturday.
"Kirsten is a special player because she is not just a goal scorer, but a playmaker as well," said head coach Brienne Smith. "Teams have already tried to double her up and take her out of games, but she is so dynamic she just finds a way to separate herself from defenders. She is also an extremely intelligent player, and is always looking for that perfect slotted ball. Her teammates are doing a nice job finishing what she starts, and that makes us dangerous in the attack."
Against Centenary, all three Moravian goals were scored off corner kick plays within a six-minute timeframe in the second half of play. Schall, the team's corner kick specialist, found the foot of sophomore midfielder Catherine Lamplugh in the 56th minute. Less than three minutes later, Schall's bending ball found the head of 5-foot-8 freshman defender Christine Miklas, who powered a header into the side netting for a 2-0 lead. In the 61st, Miklas scored her second-career goal when another Schall corner kick was pinballed around in a dangerous area and led to an open shot, which gave the Greyhounds the 3-0 advantage.
Schall established the theme of a high-octane offense against Neumann early in Tuesday's match. The junior striker scored her team-leading fifth and sixth goals in the 14th and 23rd minutes, and added an assist to cap the Greyhound scoring in the 81st.
She cleaned up a loose ball emphatically in the 14th minute, and added another tally in the 23rd when senior forward Caroline Clark's shot was saved by the Knight's keeper and Schall put the rebound away for the 2-0 lead. Marissa Martin finished the Greyhounds' impressive display when the freshman midfielder found herself on the receiving end of a patented Schall corner kick. Martin placed a strong inside-of-the-foot shot into the back of the net.
Although Landmark Conference play is still less than two weeks away, Schall has set the pace in the league on the offensive front. Her six goals and five assists this season are good for first place during Landmark's non-conference slate. She also leads the conference in points with 17.
Schall now has 13 career assists for Moravian, which is tied for seventh most all-time with Kate McGonigal ('94-97) and Stevie Ochse ('98-01).
The Greyhounds return to the pitch on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. when they travel to future Landmark Conference foe Elizabethtown College. It will be the last non-conference match with the Blue Jays before they join the conference in 2014-15.
