Virginia Tech women’s soccer freshman goalkeeper Alia Skinner has been chosen by the United Soccer Coaches as the national player of the week after helping the Hokies to their first win of the season Sunday.
With the honor, Skinner becomes just the third VT women’s soccer player ever to garner the weekly honor from the coaches association. Kristin Carden earned the award on Oct. 4, 2009, while Ashley Kinser was the first to be recognized with the honor on Nov. 5, 2007.
On Tuesday, Skinner was chosen as the ACC Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week becoming the fourth Tech freshman to garner either an offensive or defensive weekly award since the Hokies joined the ACC, but the first goalkeeper to do so.
Skinner posted her first collegiate shutout Sunday as the Hokies recorded the 2-0 upset victory over 14th-ranked Pittsburgh. She had a career-best 12 saves in the contest. After Tech’s first goal in the 76th minute, she had to make three more saves over the next 10 minutes before the Hokies iced the match with an insurance goal in the 89th minute.
Her 12 saves are the most ever for a Tech goalkeeper in an ACC match, the third-most in the last 23 years of Tech women’s soccer and the most since Robin Chidester had 13 saves versus No. 4 Stanford on Sept. 6, 2009.
Skinner leads the conference with 43 saves this season, and her 12 saves versus the Panthers are the most by an ACC player this year. She also leads the nation with an 8.60 saves per game average. Her 43 saves are second nationally only to Texas State’s Beth Agee, who has 55 saves in 10 matches.
