Elon’s Christopher Tabbed CAA WSOC Player of the Week

RICHMOND, Va. – Elon University women’s soccer freshman forward Meredith Christopher was named the CAA Player of the Week on Monday afternoon, Aug. 21, by the conference after two standout performances in Elon’s season-opening matches over the weekend.

Christopher got her career in maroon and gold off to a dream start over the weekend with four goals and an assist for nine points, leading Elon to one of the most successful opening weekends in program history. On Friday night against North Florida, the Fort Mill, S.C., native tallied three times in the opening 16 minutes to record just the third hat trick the program has seen since the start of the 2002 season. She provided the encore performance two days later on Sunday with a goal in the 15th minute and an assist on the game-winner in the 45th minute.

The honor is the first CAA Player of the Week award for a Phoenix player since Samantha Burch took the honor on Sept. 21, 2015. Other awards handed out Monday included Nathalie Nidetch of Northeastern taking Defensive Player of the Week and Erin Dailey of William & Mary earning Rookie of the Week.

With the two wins over the weekend, it marks just the fourth time Elon has started a campaign 2-0, with the last time coming at the start of the 1991 season. Already with four goals on the year, Christopher has put herself among the program’s leading rookie scorers in recent memory. She is tied for second-most in a season since 2009 with Tori Baliatico (four goals in 2015), Kimmie Krauss (four goals in 2010) and Shannon Foley (four in 2009). Only Chelsey Stark’s six goals during the 2010 season stand as more over the last nine years by a rookie.

Following the 4-2 win over North Florida and the 2-1 victory over Jacksonville to open the campaign, Elon will look to make it a 3-0 start on Thursday night when it takes on UNCG in Greensboro, N.C. First kick against its former Southern Conference rival is set for 7 p.m.