ST. LOUIS– Southern Illinois forward Liz Brechtel and defender Paris Walsh each earned Missouri Valley Conference honors after helping the Salukis to a 2-0 week on the field, the league announced Tuesday. Brechtel was named Offensive Player of the Week while Walsh was tabbed Defensive Player of the Week. The awards mark the first weekly honors for the Salukis in program history.
Brechtel was a key player up top for the Salukis in their two wins this week vs. Alabama A&M and Purdue Fort Wayne. On Thursday, Sept. 1, the senior tallied a goal and an assist in Southern’s 2-0 victory over Alabama A&M. Brechtel then played a full 90 minutes on Sunday against Purdue Fort Wayne, constantly posing a threat to the Mastodons’ defense in SIU’s 2-1 win.
In a week where the Salukis earned two wins and allowed one goal, Walsh played a full 180 minutes in leading the way in defense for Southern Illinois. She was a key part of a Saluki backline that tallied a clean sheet on Thursday against Alabama A&M, and then held Purdue Fort Wayne to just one goal in SIU’s 2-1 win on Sunday. Also in the game, Walsh nearly found the back-of-the-net with a shot-on-goal, making an impact on both ends.
Southern Illinois has earned consecutive victories for the first time since Aug. 27-30, 2019, where the Salukis won back-to-back games in their inaugural season.
The team is back in action on Thursday when they play host to SIU Edwardsville at 6 p.m. at the Lew Hartzog Track & Field Complex.
