The University of the Incarnate Word women's soccer team earned two more Heartland Conference awards this week, with Lianah Flores and Cassidy Ballantyne earning Player of the Week honors.
Bouncing back after an upset loss last week was going to be difficult for Incarnate Word, especially with the team's leading scorer sitting out for a red card, but the Cardinals responded with a 2-1 victory over Texas A&M Commerce.
Junior defender Cassidy Ballantyne helped UIW (6-1-1) get back into the win column by providing defense and offense against the Lions – setting up the game-winning goal with a beautiful crossing pass for a header by teammate Flores in the second half.
The assist is the third of the year for Ballantyne and on her own end of the field, Ballantyne helped limit Commerce to just four shots on-net in 90 minutes of play which earned her the Heartland Conference Defensive Player of the Week award.
Flores's goal, and her 1-for-3 shooting performance, earned her the Offensive Player of the Week award – meaning the Ballantyne-Flores combination for UIW not only defeated Commerce, but gave the Cardinals their third consecutive week with at least one Player of the Week award recipient.
The goal is the third of the year for Flores, a senior, who is averaging a point-per-contest for the No. 25-ranked Cardinals. She is also averaging nearly four shots per game – 50 percent of which are on-net.
Incarnate Word plays host to Newman University in a conference matchup at 6 p.m. on Friday and then the women will be back on the field of Gayle & Tom Benson Stadium on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Midwestern State University.
