Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Garkowski, McDermott Repeat as Patriot League Women's Soccer Award Winners
9/24/2012 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Sept. 24, 2012
LEWISBURG, Pa. - It was déjà vu for Bucknell women's soccer's Chelsey Garkowski (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) and Sandita McDermott (Rhinebeck, N.Y./Red Hook), as both repeated as Patriot League weekly award winners on Monday. Garkowski, who tied a school record with four goals in Friday's 5-0 win over Canisius, earned Patriot League Brine Offensive Player of the Week honors, while McDermott earned her third Goalkeeper of the Week citation of the season. Garkowski was also named the Bison Athlete of the Week for her efforts.
Now 7-4 on the season, the Bison posted their highest single-game goal total in five years in the home victory over Canisius. Garkowski was the star, as she recorded the fifth four-goal game in program history. Bucknell Hall-of-Famer Lisa Gibbons, the program's all-time leading scorer, recorded three four-goal games between 1991 and 1993, and Kerry McDonnell had the most recent one against Scranton in 1994.
The four goals are tied for the most in a game in all of Division I women's soccer this season. The only three others to do it so far are Amanda LeCave of Pepperdine against Indiana; Alabama's Katie Bourgeois against South Alabama; and Portland's Amanda Frisbie against Fresno State.
Garkowski needed only 25:52 to complete her hat trick, sending Bucknell into halftime with a 3-0 lead, and she capped the scoring with her fourth of the night in the 62nd minute. Garkowski also had three other terrific scoring chances and finished with a game-high eight shot attempts in the game, even though she only played 45 of the 90 minutes.
Garkowski entered her junior year with one career goal, but now she has seven in 2012, including six in the last three games. She scored twice against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 14, leading to her first career Patriot League Player of the Week award.
She has been a central figure in Bucknell's resurgent offense this fall. After scoring just 10 goals all of last season, the Bison have 22 goals in 11 games in 2012. Garkowski's seven goals are third-most in the Patriot League, just one behind co-leaders Ashlynn Soellner of Navy and Jillian Kinter of Colgate. She also has three assists on the season, and her 17 points rank third in the league.
McDermott was also stellar in the Canisius game. She finished with six saves in 68 scoreless minutes of action, and she left with a 5-0 lead. This was the team's fifth shutout of the season, and four of them have been solo shutouts by McDermott, which is tied for the league lead. She also ranks second in the Patriot League in both save percentage (.803) and goals-against average (1.23).
McDermott now has six career Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors, including the league-high three this season.
Bucknell's seven victories are one shy of the program record for non-league wins in a season. The 1994 squad won eight non-league matches. The Bison open up Patriot League play on Saturday at home against Colgate, then they face Penn State on Oct. 2 in the final non-conference game of the regular season.
