Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's soccer earned more than just a road victory last weekend as junior forward Milla Syska was today named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week for her two-goal performance against Georgia State on Sunday.
Syska was joined by UNCG's Emma Malone as the Defensive Player of the Week for the conference.
Syska is the second Catamount to earn weekly plaudits this season, joining senior forward Kirsten Hahn who was also named SoCon Offensive Player of the Week. Hahn earned the first honor of the year after a hat trick performance against UNC Asheville in WCU's home-opening win.
On Sunday, Syska exploded out of the gates, scoring both the first – and what proved to be the eventual game-winning goal – for the Catamounts in the fourth minute of the match. She fired four shots, placing two on net (including her opening goal) in two minutes stretching from the third to the fifth minute of play.
Syska followed up her opening goal with a second marker in the 27th minute, redirecting a cross from Ava Robitaille past the Georgia State defense for her first career multi-goal game. She ended the day with seven shots, putting five on target while playing 56 minutes in the match.
The Charlotte, N.C., product is the 17th Catamount to post a multigoal game, recording the 31st brace – or two goals scored in the same contest – in Catamount women's soccer history. Syska is one of four active Catamounts to record a brace, joining Isabella DeMarco (two hat tricks, one brace), Naya Marcil (two braces), and Kirsten Hahn (one hat trick) in the milestone.
Syska, Hahn, and the Catamounts look to string wins together as they host Gardner-Webb on Thursday at 7 p.m. on campus at the Catamount Athletic Complex. WCU has won all nine previous meetings with the Runnin' Bulldogs dating back to 2001, outscoring GWU 16-to-3 all-time including a 3-0 victory in Boiling Springs in the most recent meeting in 2021. The Catamounts then travel to directional rival East Carolina on Sunday in Greenville, N.C.
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