Sept. 17, 2012

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Massachusetts’ Emily Cota and Butler’s Sophia Maccagnone earned Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Soccer Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. The weekly awards were given for games played September 12 - 16.

Cota earned Player of the Week after posting back-to-back shutouts on the road with wins against Boston University (Sep. 14) and New Hampshire (Sep. 16). The senior goalkeeper stopped all 14 shots she faced, logging seven saves in each contest. Cota tallied her 17th and 18th shutouts of her collegiate career, moving her within one of the No. 5 all-time record in program history. The Green Lane, Pa., native improved to fifth in all-time career saves (254) for Massachusetts.

Maccagnone recorded three goals for a total of six points en route to Butler’s 2-0 weekend versus Eastern Illinois (Sep. 14) and Ball State (Sep. 16). The Rookie of the Week scored twice in Butler’s 3-0 victory over Eastern Illinois, including a penalty kick in the first half. The Shelby Township, Mich., native scored the tying goal in the 45th minute of action at Ball State, helping lead the Bulldogs to a 2-1 win. Maccagnone attempted a career-high nine shots against Eastern Illinois and leads Butler with 34 this season.

About the A-10

The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976.  Currently comprised of 16 member institutions and sponsoring 21 championship sports, the mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership.  The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff.  The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are Butler University, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, Virginia Commonwealth University, and Xavier University.