Two Indiana teammates won B1G weekly awards this week. Standouts Lauren Costello and Piper Coffield won Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
Both women played in the shutouts against Morehead State and Evansville in week two had outstanding performances, helping them in being recognized.
New to Indiana this year as a transfer from La Salle, Costello has been making moves for Indiana on the pitch since game one. With four game starts and 334 minutes played this season total, the junior is a defender and playmaker Indiana can count on. She takes shots where she can get them, making a goal herself in her debut and the season-starting game against Illinois State. On top of that goal, in that game she contributed assists for the other two goals and had an assist towards a goal in both of the week two games.
Coffield, a freshman defender from Pennsylvania, has been strong in the back line for her team. Also a starter in all four games on the pitch so far, Coffield has had one goal for Indiana. That goal was the penalty kick attempt against Morehead State, which was successful after Indiana had not had a penalty kick in three years. Head coach Erwin van Bennekom said Coffield was prepared for the moment.
“All pre-season (she) scored every one of her penalties,” van Bennekom said. “She's pretty calm so I'm happy for her.”
However, this is nothing new for Coffield, who has always performed at high levels even as a high school player. She was captain of her club team, was a Moe Rosensteel Most Outstanding Player of the Year Finalist in 2022, and found herself on All-American watch list and game selections, amongst many other awards and recognitions.
The the full list of B1G weekly awards is as follows:
Offensive Player of the Week: Josie Aulicino, Northwestern.
Defensive Player of the Week: Lauren Costello, Indiana
Goalkeeper of the Week: Erin McKinney, Wisconsin
Freshman of the Week: Piper Coffield, Indiana
Indiana is set to play Tennessee at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 at Regal Soccer Stadium in Knoxville. The game is available on SEC Network +.
