TAMPA, Fla. – The W-League announced its Team of the Week for Week 9 of the 2013 season, honoring Dayton Dutch Lions forward Emilie Fillion as Player of the Week after she scored twice in a 3-2 victory at the Atlanta Silverbacks Saturday, earning the Dutch Lions the Southeastern Conference title. Dayton has earned the right to host the Southeastern Conference Championship, with the winner securing a spot at the W-League Championship presented by Nike July 26-28 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.

Fillion, preparing for her senior season at Wright State(w) University, struck in the 30^th and 50^th minutes for her fifth and sixth goals of the season as Dayton sprinted out to a 3-0 lead at Atlanta. The Dutch Lions (5-1-3) held on for the 3-2 victory a day after battling for a scoreless draw at Charlotte, clinching the conference and finalizing an impressive turnaround after finishing winless in 2012.

Fillion’s teammate Brooke McCurdy was chosen as goalkeeper after earning the shutout at Charlotte and producing key saves at Atlanta. Sydney Vermillion of the Los Angeles Strikers leads the corps of defenders after scoring the game-winner in a 2-0 shutout win vs. the Colorado Rush, and she’s joined by Virginia Beach’s Jessica Kalonji, who led her squad to shutouts at New York and Long Island. Rounding out the defense are Fredericksburg’s Kimmy Cummings, who scored and led her team to consecutive shutouts, and Brooke Spence of the Colorado Rapids, who scored a highlight-reel goal in a 3-1 victory against Bay Area.

Pali’s Ashley Nick highlights the Team of the Week midfield after she scored all four of her team’s goals in a 2-0 win and 2-2 draw which kept Pali atop the Western Conference standings. She is joined by Laval’s Kylie Davis, who scored the game-winner at K-W United for the Central Conference leaders, and K-W’s Anne Houliston, who tallied a goal and two assists in a 2-1-0 week. Rounding out the midfield is Taylor Mertz of Virginia Beach, who had a goal and two assists as the Piranhas stayed atop the Northeastern Conference with the league’s top record (9-1-1).

The final member of the squad is forward Najma Homidi of the Bay Area Breeze, who is chosen for the second consecutive week after tallying a pair of goals in a 2-2 draw at the Pali Blues.

W-League Team of the Week

Honorable Mention – Charlotte - Amanda Naeher; Colorado Rapids - Hannah Clark, Kristen Hamilton; Dayton - Juliana Libertin; Fredericksburg - Rebecca Burrows, Jesse McGinley, Shaniece Thorpe; K-W United - Maxine Murchie, Grace Cuenin, Emma Kruse; Quebec City - Alexandra Brunelle, Melissande Guy; Santa Clarita - Natalia Gomez-Junco, Stacey Rodwell; Seattle - Jenna Richardson; Toronto - Nichelle Prince; Washington - Jessica Van Dyke.

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