Valpo soccer senior goalkeeper Nikki Coryell (Aurora, Ill./Metea Valley) added yet another prestigious honor to her long list of collegiate accolades on Wednesday, as she was named United Soccer Coaches Division I Women’s National Player of the Week for her efforts in the Beacons’ final two matches of the MVC Tournament.

The three-time MVC Goalkeeper of the Year was named MVP of the 2023 MVC Tournament after completing a tournament where she posted four clean sheets to lead Valpo to the MVC Tournament title. The final two of those clean sheets came in the week covered by this weekly award and came against the top two teams in the Valley regular season standings.

Coryell made seven saves in the semifinal match last Thursday against Missouri State in a 1-0 victory over the Bears, none bigger than a diving save along the ground to her right in the 55^th minute to deny MSU a goal. The clean sheet was the 27^th of Coryell’s career, tying the MVC career record. The shutout came against an MSU side which went unbeaten in MVC regular season play and which had lost just one match on the season, to Missouri.

In Sunday’s title match win over Drake, Coryell made four saves to post the 28^th clean sheet of her career to become the outright MVC career shutouts leader. The shutout came against a Bulldogs squad which had won the MVC regular season, was 13-3-3 on the season entering the championship match and which had been shut out just once all season prior to Coryell blanking them.