Oct. 6, 2008

CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Fresh off its thrilling overtime victory over Bucknell in Saturday's league opener, the Navy defensive duo of junior Shelly Moeller (Milford, Ohio) and freshman Katelyn George (Loveland, Ohio) have been selected as the Patriot League BRINE Women's Soccer Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Monday afternoon.

Both defenders played an instrumental role in limiting the Bison, who owned the Patriot League's top scoring offense (2.0 g/gm) coming into the weekend, to a season-low one shot on goal and keeping them off the scoreboard for the first time this fall.

It marks the second time that Moeller has been honored by the league this season and the sixth time in her career, while it is George's first honor, as well as the first by a Navy freshman since current junior Brittany White collected the accolade on Oct. 9, 2006. A total of five players (Lizzie Barnes, Kristen Laraway and Carey Young) have accounted for the seven Patriot League weekly awards the Mids have picked up this fall.

Moeller, who has played every minute of Navy's 12 games, was an absolute force on the defensive end for the Mids in Saturday's victory. The 5-foot-10 center back helped hold the league's top scorer, Bucknell's Jennifer Dervarics, without an attempt on goal, and was a major reason why the Bison's potent attack failed to generate any significant scoring chances.

"Shelly sets the tone for our team defending," said head coach Carin Gabarra, who collected her 200th career coaching victory in the league-opening win. "When she is playing at her best, it is very hard for those around her not to raise their level of play. She gets into the zone in games and her intensity and heart are unmatched. She is extremely athletic and will do whatever it takes to help her team win."

George has made an immediate impact on Navy's backline as a freshman. She has earned the starting nod in each of the last eight games, a span in which the Mids own a 6-1-1 mark and have allowed just 0.75 goals per game. George is now the third different member of the Mids' defensive unit that has been recognized with a weekly league award, joining Moeller and last week's defensive player of the week recipient, senior Carey Young.

"Katelyn has stepped into our system of play and level without missing a beat," said Gabarra. "She is very technical and adds to our attack, but is very hard to beat 1v1. We demand that our team defend first, and that defending is our backbone, and she has embraced this and been an impact this fall."

Navy continues its record-long 10-game homestand on Monday evening when they play host to first-time opponent Delaware at 5 p.m. at the Glenn Warner Soccer Facility.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Weekly Awards (10/6/08)Offensive Player of the Week:       Lauren Wright, Holy CrossDefensive Player of the Week:           Shelly Moeller, NavyGoalkeeper of the Week:             Rebecca Michlin, ColgateRookie of the Week:                 Katelyn George, Navy