USU soccer: Norris and Mulford earn WAC Soccer Player of the Week honors

Utah State soccer players, Natalie Norris and Ashlyn Mulford, have been named the Western Athletic Conference Players of the Week, as announced by the league Monday. Norris earned WAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, while Mulford was named the first-ever WAC Goalkeeper of the Week.

This was Norris’ second WAC Player of the Week honor after winning the award in 2010. This was the first conference honor for Mulford.

Norris, a senior defender from Sandy, Utah, (Alta HS), played every minute of the Aggies’ first two matches on the USU backline that allowed only one goal in 183 minutes of action. Norris anchored the USU defense to a 1-0 overtime shutout victory over in-state rival Utah and a 2-1 win against UTEP on Aug. 19. Norris also scored the game-tying goal in the 77th minute against UTEP to tie the score at 1-1.

Mulford, a senior goalkeeper from West Valley City, Utah (Cyprus HS), earned her first career win and first shutout against in-state rival Utah at Rio Tinto Stadium on August 17. She helped guide the Aggies to a 1-0 overtime win over the Utes for USU’s fourth-straight win at Rio Tinto Stadium. She recorded seven saves in the 93-minute match to keep Utah off the board. She helped lead USU to its second-straight win over Utah.

The Aggie senior goalkeeper was also named College Sports Madness Women’s Soccer WAC Player of the Week for her exceptional performance during this past week’s action. College Sports Madness identifies the highest impact players nationally and from each conference every week.

Seattle’s Melissa Busque earned the WAC’s Offensive Player of the Week. She scored a hat trick against St. Mary’s, scoring the first two goals of the match and adding a third on a corner kick in the second half. Busque’s three goals led the Redhawks to a 5-1 victory over the Gaels.

The Aggies will now hit the road for a pair of matches in the Cornhusker State, heading to Omaha, Neb., for the weekend to face Creighton on Friday, Aug. 24, and Nebraska-Omaha on Sunday, Aug. 26. Head coach Heather Cairns will return to her old stomping grounds as she was an assistant coach for the Bluejays of Creighton from 1999-2002.

Doug Hoffman is the assistant athletic director for Utah State University Athletic Media Relations.