Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Osorio’s game-winner and Coulter’s shutout streak receives conference recognition

MACON, Ga. (September 6, 2011) – Leading ETSU to a 2-0 week, including its first ever victory over a top-25 opponent, junior Alesi Osorio (Austin, Texas) and redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Coulter (Dublin, Ireland) have been named player of the week and defensive player of the week, respectively, from the league office on Tuesday.

Osorio played 104 minutes on Wednesday night against then-No. 24 UNC Greensboro, before taking his first shot of the match and finding the back of the net with 43 seconds remaining in double overtime. The goal, finding the upper right corner, earned ETSU its first victory over a top-25 opponent in program history and got the Bucs off to a 2-0 start. The junior midfielder followed up that performance by assisting David Geno (Kingsport, Tenn.) on the game-winning goal against Marshall in the 20th minute on Sunday night in Huntington, W. Va. For the week, Osorio took three shots, two on goal, and collected three points via a game-winning goal and assist.

Stetson’s Jonathan Mendoza was also named Co-Player of the Week, scoring two times to help the Hatters defeat then-No. 15 Penn State, 3-2, on Friday.

Coulter picked up right where he left off after the Bucs, 3-0, win against Presbyterian back on August 27. The Irish keeper faced 15 shots against UNC Greensboro on Wednesday, making four saves, while allowing no goals through 109 minutes. On Sunday against the Thundering Herd, Coulter faced 15 shots again and made a season-high nine saves as the rain and wind relentlessly beat down throughout the match. The redshirt sophomore keeper totaled 13 saves, facing 30 shots, keeping a clean sheet for over 199 minutes of soccer on the week.

This marks the first time Osorio or Coulter have received conference Player of the Week honors.

For more information on ETSU men’s soccer, please visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men’s soccer links.