October 27, 2009

EAST STROUDSBURG – Sophomore Devon Miniscalco has been named the Championship Award Guys Athlete of the Week at East Stroudsburg University for her performance for the Warriors’ women’s soccer team, which enters the final week of the regular season looking to earn its third straight trip to the PSAC playoffs.

Miniscalco (Churchville/Council Rock South) has a team-high 10 goals with three assists from her spot at midfield, where she has started all 17 games for the Warriors this season. ESU is 10-5-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the PSAC East with two games remaining, at Bloomsburg on Wednesday and at home against West Chester on Saturday.

Miniscalco was in the starting lineup at back for all 22 games last season as ESU made the PSAC semifinals for the second straight year and earned the NCAA playoff win in school history.

She moved to the midfield this season and has been integral to an offense that has scored 50 goals for a PSAC-leading average of 2.9 per game, a half-goal better than the next team in the conference. Junior forwards Kailyn Buckley (8 goals, 6 assists) and Lindsay Foder (7 goals, 6 assists) and a pair of freshman midfielders, Marissa Spitler (7 goals, 3 assists) and Crystal Zerbe (3 goals, 4 assists) have also made significant contributions to the Warriors’ attack.

Miniscalco’s penalty kick accounted for ESU’s first goal (and her 10th of the season) in a 2-2 tie vs. Shippensburg last Tuesday which moved the Warriors closer to another PSAC playoff berth.

ESU’s game at Bloomsburg on Wednesday begins at 7:30 p.m. with both schools tied for third in the PSAC East with 14 points and identical 4-4-2 conference marks. Shippensburg is fifth with 9 points, with the top four teams making the playoffs. The Warriors host West Chester, the top team in the PSAC East, on Saturday at 7 p.m.