Masar Garners Back-To-Back Big Ten Weekly Honors
October 29, 2007 | Soccer
Oct. 29, 2007
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illinois senior forward Ella Masar was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row after tallying three goals in the Illini's weekend sweep of Michigan and Michigan State. Masar sits atop the conference with 11 goals and 25 points this season.
Masar notched her first goal of the weekend in the 40th minute against Michigan after taking a pass from junior forward Jessica Levitt and splitting defenders before netting her shot from the post. The Urbana, Ill., native added her second goal of the game in the 54th minute when junior defender Emily Zurrer served a ball into the box as Masar charged down the field and fired a shot into the net, leading Illinois to a 2-0 victory. The goal marked Masar's 10th of the season, surpassing her single-season high of nine set in 2006.
Masar struck again against Michigan State, tallying her third goal of the weekend on a cross from sophomore forward Chichi Nweke to give the Illini a 1-0 win. It was Masar's sixth game-winner of the season and 12th of her career, both of which rank second in the Illinois record book. The three weekend-goals put her in a tie with Penn State's Katie Schoepfer for the conference lead in goals and points.
The award is the third of the season for Masar and fourth of her career. The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year received the honor earlier this season after the Illini's opening weekend of play against Missouri and Xavier, as she notched a goal in each game. Last week, Masar tallied two goals to lead the Illini to a 3-0 win against then-No. 24 Indiana.
The back-to-back honor marks the first time since 2003 that an Illinois player has earned two consecutive weekly awards, when current assistant coach and former All-American goalkeeper Leisha Alcia accomplished the feat. Masar is the first Illinois offensive player to earn two straight weekly honors.
In addition to the Big Ten honor, Masar has been selected as finalist for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. She is the only Big Ten representative among the 10 finalists for the national award. Fans can vote for Masar once each day by clicking here.
Masar and the Illini will take the weekend off before traveling to Minneapolis, Minn., for the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 8. The Illini clinched a No. 3 seed and will face the No. 6 seed (to be determined) in the opening round of the tournament.
