Photo: Dylan Ribott
By Brian Maurer
Week three of women’s soccer action included more strong performances from some of the top teams in the standings, especially Stanford. This week also included more historic shutouts and standout performances from Penn State freshmen.
Here’s a look at our women’s soccer week 3 awards:
Team of the Week
Stanford
The Cardinal are off to another dominant start to the season, putting up massive numbers. This past week they beat No. 17 UCLA 3-0 and followed that performance up with a 7-0 win over Cal State Fullerton. Stanford has now scored 19 goals and kept five clean sheets to start the 2026 campaign and that includes two victories against ranked opponents. This strong start is setting up for a juggernaut battle on the road against Duke to open ACC action in a couple weeks.
Offensive Player of the Week
Jade Bordeleau – Senior – Forward – NC State
Jade Bordeleau and NC State are off to a flying start this season. The senior forward had both game winning goals this past week and tallied five goal contributions (4g/1a) in the two Wolfpack games, including a hattrick against Davidson. Bordeleau is in the hunt for top goalscorer of the season with eight through six games.
Defensive Player of the Week
Sophia Garofalo – Senior – Center back – Binghamton
Sophia Garofalo has been a key center back for Binghamton this season and has helped the defense keep five straight clean sheets to start the 2026 campaign. Garofalo and the Binghamton backline have some serious tests coming up this week as they host Syracuse and then travel to College Park to face Maryland.
Goalkeeper of the Week
Ella Holland – R-Senior – Eastern Michigan
Seven saves against No. 3 Michigan State. Two clean sheets over the week. No saves needed against Robert Morris. Holland helped preserve the program’s historic point as she was under a barrage from the Spartans throughout, facing 22 shots to Eastern Michigan’s zero.
Freshman of the Week
Nicole Crane – Forward – Penn State
Penn State has several standout freshmen this season but one that made a massive mark on the statsheet this past week was Nicole Crane who had an assist to start the week against Bucknell and then put up a hattrick against Brown in just under 30 minutes of gametime yesterday.
