BOONE, N.C. – Following a two-goal game against Longwood on Thursday, App State Soccer freshman
Ellie Garrison has been named the Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced today.
Winner of the 2023 North Carolina Golden Boot Award, Garrison scored the first two goals of her collegiate career in the Mountaineers' 2-0 victory over the Lancers. Her first goal came off an App State corner kick in the 30th minute of play.
Shannon Studer served the ball in from the left corner, and after it bounced around in the box,
Izzi Wood was able to push a pass past a defender to find Garrison in front for the finish.
Twelve minutes later, Garrison struck again. She collected the ball near midfield, dribbled past the Longwood defense and powered a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net to record App State's first brace of the season.
Garrison finished the week with four shots and two shots on target, playing 73 minutes against Longwood and 80 minutes at No. 13 Auburn on Sunday.
Her two goals are tied for fifth in the Sun Belt and tied for the most among league freshmen. Garrison also leads Sun Belt freshmen in points with five, picking up her first career assist in the Mountaineers' 1-1 draw with Charlotte on Aug. 25.
The Trinity, N.C., native scored a state-record 230 career goals at Wheatmore High School, including a state-record 96 in her senior season. Garrison becomes the first Mountaineer to earn weekly award recognition this season.
Garrison and the Mountaineers will look to extend their 13-match home unbeaten streak on Thursday, when the team hosts Radford at 6 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+.
