IRVING, Texas – Senior Makenzie Costner has been named the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week as announced by the conference office on Monday morning. The honor is the first of Costner's career and second consecutive Defensive Player of the Week nod for the Lady Toppers.
For the first time in program history, WKU has earned a Player of the Week in each of the last three weeks. On Sept. 6, freshman Chandler Backes earned C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, while senior Olivia Fitzgerald captured Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 12 last week. WKU has more than doubled its total of Players of the Week this season since entering Conference USA, collecting three awards after earning a pair in its first two seasons.
Costner has been a key part of WKU's defense this season and has led the Lady Toppers on a 353-minute shutout streak, currently the eighth-longest active streak among Division I programs. The Dublin, Ohio, native has started all eight matches in which she has played and ranks second among field players with 643 minutes played, including 153 minutes this past week.
In WKU's 1-0 win at Marshall on Thursday, Costner was matched up one-on-one against two of the Thundering Herd's top attackers in Sydney Arnold and Jordan Sackaris while playing the full 90 minutes. She held the duo without a shot on goal and to just a single shot in total as Backes tallied the match-winner in the 83rd minute to claim the victory.
On Saturday at Belmont, Costner again played a major role on a defense that held the Bruins to just three shots on goal. With the 3-0 shutout, the Lady Toppers are now on their longest shutout streak since the 2013 season and have captured five of their last six matches heading into the full slate of C-USA play.
The Lady Toppers will return to action this Thursday, Sept. 22, at the WKU Soccer Complex as they take on C-USA foe Southern Miss at 7 p.m. WKU claimed a 2-0 victory in Hattiesburg, Miss., on Oct. 26, 2014, in the only other meeting between the two sides.
Season tickets are available online at WKUSports.com or by phone at 1-800-5-BIGRED. A $25 flexible ticket package is available that includes all five remaining regular season home matches against Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, UAB, UTSA and Old Dominion.
For more information on WKU Soccer, visit WKUSports.com or follow the team via social media @WKU_Soccer on Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUAthletics.
