ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman junior forward Julianne Herrity (Donegal, Ireland) grabbed her third AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Player of the Week award with three goals and an assist in wins at Tusculum and Coker that helped the Eagles win their first conference title since 2010.
Herrity leads the league with her three Player of the Week accolades; two other players have been granted the honor twice. Herrity garnered the award on Sept. 15th and Oct. 19th.
"It means everything, again; I didn't really expect it this week. It means a lot and especially to do the it the week we win conference means even more to myself and the team," Herrity said.
Against Tusculum, Herrity scored the first goal of the contest in the fifth-minute. The junior launched a shot from the top of the box that the Tusculum goalkeeper was able to graze but unable to make a save with the ball finding the back of the net.
Seventy-nine seconds later, Herrity picked up an assist after initially setting up freshman Averi Williams (Knoxville, Tenn.) with a shot that was saved, but cleaned up and scored by fellow freshman Alex Brandan (Knoxville, Tenn.).
"The first goal, we just decided we were going to jump on them as fast as we could and the ball dropped to me at the 18-yard box. I hit it and I thought the keeper had it saved, but she fumbled it and it went in. I got lucky on that one, I think," Herrity said. "The next one, Averi played a great ball in and I flicked it on; I think the keeper came off her line for it and she did well to get it off, but Alex was there to put it in the back of the net."
On Saturday against the Cobras, Herrity converted Carson-Newman's first penalty kick of the season in the 15th-minute, which would eventually turn into the game-winning goal. Twenty minutes later, the junior capped the Eagles' scoring with a strike from distance that found the back post and trickled into the net for a 5-0 C-N lead.
"The first goal, I rounded the keeper and got off my shot and the girl on the line handed the ball and that gave me the PK and I had missed one already in the season, so I wanted to take that to get my confidence back," Herrity said. "The second one, I sat at the edge of the 18-yard and the ball went in high and their defender headed it back to me and I just hit it and took my chance and it went in."
The 15th-ranked Eagles host Lincoln Memorial at 5 p.m. on Tuesday in the SAC Tournament quarterfinals at McCown Field as C-N begins its trek to sweep the conference titles for the first time since 2009.
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