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After playing most of last season as a center-back, Laramie moved to striker this season with a bang, scoring five goals in the first two games. She first scored for Long Beach State in an opening night near-upset of Texas, then followed that up by scoring a program-record four goals against Boston College. It would be unfair to expect the redshirt senior to continue a rate of over two goals a game, but with elite speed, an eye for goal, and a playing style that creates plenty of chances, this will not be the last time you see Laramie on the team of the week. 

Please send any future Team of the Week nominations to college@topdrawersoccer.com.

Player of the Week: Elysia Laramie, Long Beach State

Women’s Team of the Week: August 17-20 

GK: Melania Pasar, Kansas – Pasar was excellent for Kansas in their 0-0 result against Wisconsin, making nine saves. Another three saves to one conceded against Loyola-Chicago gives her 12 saves and just one allowed to start the season. 

D: Daviana Vaka, Florida – A Florida team led by a long list of newcomers has relied on the experience of Vaka, a senior transfer from BYU. Florida kept two clean sheets in the week, conceding just three shots on target as Vaka played all 180 minutes.  

D Gessica Skorka, Alabama – The senior defender helped Alabama to two shutouts, playing 176 of 180 minutes in that span.

D Jazmin Brown, Kansas State – Brown did it all for K-State on the week. First, the sophomore center-back scored two headers against Wisconsin-Green Bay, and then she played all 90 minutes as K-State held top-25 ranked Northwestern to a surprising 0-0 result at Northwestern.

D Frederique St.-Jean, St. John’s – After missing 2022 with an injury, St.-Jean returned to the lineup by helping her team keep two clean sheets and concede just two shots on target.

M Taylor Huff, Florida State – Life at her new school is off to a good start as the Tennessee transfer led Florida State to two impressive wins scoring a goal in each game against Texas A&M and TCU, who both made the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

M Landy Mertz, Pittsburgh – The Pittsburgh offense is off to a hot start, and Mertz is at the center, contributing three of their six scored, with one goal and two assists.

M Tatum Wynalda, Pepperdine – Wynalda came off the bench to play the hero twice, scoring 86th and 56th-minute equalizers against Georgetown and Michigan.

F Trinity Byars, Texas – The nation’s top forward picks up where she left off, scoring five and assisting another through the first week. Byars scored twice to spearhead the comeback against Long Beach State, then recorded a hattrick plus an assist to account for four goals in a six-goal victory versus Rice.

F Elysia Laramie, Long Beach State – The Long Beach State forward scored five goals and assisted one in two games.

F Ally Cook, UCLA – Playing just once as extreme heat canceled the other game, Cook made an impact, scoring the second goal in a 2-0 victory versus Georgia. In one of the week’s best goals, Cook took aim from outside the 18 and smashed past the keeper to cap off an impressive performance.

Honorable Mentions:

GK Leah Freeman (Duke), D Kennedy Wesley (Stanford), F Lexi Missimo (Texas), D Maycee Bell (North Carolina), D Ellie Wheeler (Penn State) M Clara Broecker (Wisconsin-Milwaukee), M Bella Folino (BYU), M Jordan Fusco (Tennessee), F Kailyn Dudukovich (Ohio State), F Raquel Kalpakoff (UC San Diego), F Mairin Wessner (Dayton), F Kate Doyle (Gonzaga), M Megan Nemec (Minnesota)