ROSEMONT, Ill. - Michigan State women's soccer players Emerson Sargeant and Bella Najera earned Big Ten women's soccer weekly honors, with Sargeant being named Offensive Player of the Week while Najera took home Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
Sargeant, a sophomore midfielder from Hartland, Michigan, earns her first career Big Ten weekly honor. She is the first Spartan to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors since Lauren DeBeau on Oct. 25 last season. Sargeant played a key role in MSU's wins at Minnesota and Wisconsin last weekend, scoring the opening goal in the Spartans' 3-1 victory over Minnesota before notching an assist on the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 win against the Badgers.
Sargeant ranks second on the team this season in points (10) and assists (4). She has recorded a point in three of MSU's last five games.
Najera earns her second-straight Freshman of the Week nod, becoming the first Spartan in program history to collect the award in back-to-back weeks. The St. Charles, Illinois native scored the game-winning goal in MSU's 1-0 win at Wisconsin, her fifth goal in seven games. She leads the Spartans in points (11) and goals (5) this season and ranks first among all freshmen in the Big Ten in goals.
MSU's win at Wisconsin marked its first victory over the Badgers since Oct. 19, 2007, and first in Madison since Sept. 26, 1999. The Spartans have not dropped a match in conference play since Oct. 24, 2021.
The Spartans (7-2-2, 2-0-1 B1G) return home this week to face Maryland on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7 p.m. before hosting Penn State on Sunday, Oct. 1 at noon on Big Ten Network.
Courtesy of MSU Athletics.
