Duo sweeps SBC soccer players of the week

The Middle Tennessee duo of Paige Goeglein and Emily Hartshorn have been named the Sun Belt Conference Women's Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league office announced on Tuesday. It is the first honor of the season for each of the Blue Raiders, which posted a 1-1 record last week.

Goeglein, a senior for the Blue Raiders, provided the offensive attack for MT against in-state foes Vanderbilt and East Tennessee State. The midfielder fired three strikes against Vandy, including a close goal against the Commodores.

On Sunday, Goeglein tallied four points and racked up a goal and two assists as Middle Tennessee routed ETSU 7-1 in Murfreesboro. Goeglein leads the high-octane Blue Raider offense this season with 10 points (4 goals and 2 assists) in five matches. Her 10 points and four goals are also tied for tops in the league.

Midfielder Hartshorn provided the stout defensive play for the Blue Raiders as MT gave up just three goals on the weekend. Despite a 2-0 loss to Vanderbilt, Hartshorn helped keep the Blue Raiders in the contest until the very end.

"Both of them have been consistent in their play thus far. We hope they continue their strong performances for us going forward."

Against ETSU, Hartshorn helped Middle Tennessee maintain possession for most of the contest, limiting the previously unbeaten Bucs (4-1) to seven shots and just one goal in the match.

"We are very pleased that Emily and Paige received this award," said head coach Aston Rhoden. "Both of them have been consistent in their play thus far. We hope they continue their strong performances for us going forward."

This coming week the award winning pair and the rest of their Blue Raider teammates will take on two more in-state foes. Middle Tennessee travels to Tennessee Tech on Sept. 7 at 3pm before hosting Belmont on Sept. 9 at 1pm.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.