The Valpo women’s soccer team earned a pair of weekly honors from the Missouri Valley Conference following last Wednesday’s season-opening victory, as Keegan Maris (Batavia, Ill./Batavia) was named the MVC’s Defensive Player of the Week and Kelsie James (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) received Freshman of the Week accolades.

Maris returned to Valpo’s lineup in the season-opening win over Chicago State after getting injured early in the 2018 season and missing the entirety of 2019, making last Wednesday her first match in 885 days. She played all 90 minutes at left back in the win over the Cougars, helping anchor a defense which surrendered just four shots on goal to CSU.

James made an immediate impact in her debut in the Brown and Gold last Wednesday. It took James less than seven minutes into her Valpo career to find the back of the net, as the rookie corralled a rebound off her own blocked shot and found the upper-left corner for the opening goal in Valpo’s season-opening win over Chicago State. The goal, which came at the 6:53 mark, was the fastest goal to open a season in program history.

Maris is Valpo’s first MVC Defensive Player of the Week since Kezia Gesell earned the honor on Oct. 15, 2018, while James is the program’s first MVC Freshman/Newcomer of the Week since Sydney Griffin on Aug. 22, 2017.