Sept. 17, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - For the first time in five years, a Villanova women's soccer player has been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week. Sophomore forward Erin Byrnes (Sayville, N.Y.) is this week's recipient for her play in an 11-0 victory over St. Peter's last Tuesday.

In the win over the Peahens, Byrnes registered a career-high nine points behind three goals and three assists. Her first career hat trick and second career multi-goal game made her only the second Wildcat player since 2002 to have a hat trick. Byrnes had nine points against St. Peter's after tallying just one point through the season's first four games.

Villanova scored more than 10 goals for only the sixth time in program history against St. Peter's. Byrnes, who came off the bench in the game, scored one goal in the first half and two more after halftime to complete her hat trick.

The Wildcats have had at least one player honored by the BIG EAST in each of the first three weeks of weekly awards this season. Senior Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.) was chosen as Defensive Player of the Week and senior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) earned a spot on the honor roll for the first week of the season. Last week senior forward Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) was selected to the honor roll.

NOTES: The other two hat tricks by a Villanova player in the last five years have come from current senior forward Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) ... Mabery accomplished the feat last season against Robert Morris and repeated it against the same team this season ... Mabery and Byrnes are the only BIG EAST players to have a hat trick in a game this season ... The last Wildcat named Offensive Player of the Week was Janessa Jeltema on October 28, 2002 ... She had scored three goals the day before in an 11-0 win over Howard ... The Villanova record for goals and points in a game is held by Ann Brennan ... She scored five goals in a 9-1 win over Penn on September 29, 1983.

NOTES FROM THE 11-0 WIN OVER ST. PETER'S LAST WEEK

The 11 goals scored by the Wildcats are the most by any team in the nation this season. No other BIG EAST team has scored more than five goals in a game this season.

The last conference team to score 11 goals in a game was Notre Dame on August 26, 2005 in an 11-1 victory over New Hampshire.

The last BIG EAST school to score at least 10 goals in a shutout was Boston College in a 10-0 win over Wagner on August 29, 2003.

The last women's soccer Division I game to end in a shutout with the winning team scoring at least 11 goals came on September 22, 2006 when Southeast Louisiana defeated Alcorn State 11-0.

Erin Byrnes became the first BIG EAST player with as many as nine points in a game since Marquette's Christy Zwolski registered 10 points (four goals, two assists) in a win over Sacred Heart on August 27, 2006.