Player of the Week: Sahel Yessen, Western Michigan
Defensive Player of the Week: Nate Mefford, Belmont
Goalkeeper of the Week: Hugo Amo, Evansville

Western Michigan junior forward Sahel Yessen delivered a standout performance in the Broncos’ 4-0 shutout of St. Thomas on Oct. 6, recording a hat trick for the first time in his collegiate career. Yessen opened the scoring just two minutes into the match with a penalty kick before adding goals in the 59th and 64th minutes to complete the three-goal performance. He became just the third Western Michigan player to record a hat trick this decade and one of only eight Broncos to accomplish the feat since 2000. Yessen’s six-point outing moved him into second on the team with three goals and nine points for the season.

Belmont fifth-year defender Nate Mefford played a key role in the Bruins’ 2-1 victory over Bradley on Oct. 11, assisting on Jaxon Stokes’ game-winning goal in the 88th minute. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native recorded his third assist of the season, moving into a tie for the team lead in helpers. Mefford also reached 18 career points, the second-most of any current Belmont player. With the victory, Belmont improved to 2-0 in Missouri Valley Conference play for the first time since returning to the Valley in 2022.

Evansville graduate goalkeeper Hugo Amo anchored the Purple Aces’ defense in a 1-0 victory over Western Michigan on Oct. 11, recording a career-high nine saves to secure his fourth clean sheet of the season. Amo turned away every shot on goal he faced to help Evansville earn its second consecutive shutout against an MVC opponent. His performance also helped the Purple Aces improve to 2-0 in conference play, providing a crucial defensive foundation for the team’s strong start to league action. On the week, Amo tallied 16 saves, including seven against an unbeaten Xavier team, who is one of four unbeaten teams left in the country. 

Conference News & Notes

• Entering week four of Missouri Valley Conference play, two teams - Belmont and Evansville - remain unbeaten with six points apiece. Bowling Green, who is 2-1 against Valley foes, also has six points, while UIC and Western Michigan have four points each. 
• Bowling Green picked up a 3-1 victory against Drake to win its third-straight match and move to 2-1-0 in MVC play. The Falcons were led by Tyson McCoy, who had a three-point match, scoring what would prove to be the game winner early in the second half. 
• Belmont remained undefeated in league play with a 2-1 win over Bradley on Sunday. The Bruins’ Jaxon Stokes notched his second goal of the season in the 88th minute of the match to seal the victory. 
• Evansville earned a 1-0 victory on the road at Western Michigan on Sunday to remain undefeated in Valley play. Pablo Calvete converted a penalty kick in the 70th minute of action, while goalkeeper Hugo Amo made a career-high nine saves to record his fourth clean sheet of the season.
• AJ Sabanovic scored his first-career goal off the first-career assist from Aiden Montes in UIC’s 1-0 win over Saint Xavier on Saturday. The victory marked the Flames’ third shutout of the season. 
• Western Michigan’s Alex Lindewirth leads The Valley and ranks fifth in Division I in total saves this season, recording 62 stops while averaging 5.17 saves per match. Belmont’s Brody Sucher joins Lindewirth inside the top 15 with 52 saves. 
• Bradley’s Mitch Coughlon has a league-leading seven goals and 15 points this season and ranks second in the nation in shot accuracy, with 70.4% of his shots on target. 
• As a team, UIC is averaging 19.55 shots per match and 8.91 shots on goal per contest to rank second in Division I in both categories. The Flames are led by Martin Montoya and Sebastian Khoury, who are each averaging over 3.00 shots per outing.