Whidden and Reis Earn C-USA Players of the Week

With an upset of No. 4 Florida State and another shutout of intrastate rival USF this week, the UCF Knights sweep the Conference USA Player of the Week awards. Senior forward Courtney Whidden was credited with the game winner in Thursday’s 1-0 double overtime victory against the Seminoles to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors. Sophomore goalkeeper Aline Reis led the Knights to their fourth straight shutout this season, and tallied nine saves against FSU, as she was named Defensive Player of the Week. This is the first C-USA Player of the Week honor for both players this season, but Whidden earned the honor in 2007 and Reis was a four-time recipient last season.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

COURTNEY WHIDDEN, UCF

Senior, F, Palm Harbor, Fla.

Whidden scored the game-winning goal in Thursday’s thrilling 1-0 double overtime victory against No. 4 Florida State. The senior headed in the goal with 5:01 remaining in front of a record crowd. Whidden also took three shots in Sunday’s 1-0 victory against another intrastate foe, USF. She is tied for first place in the conference for goals (9) and game-winning goals (2). This is the second career Player of the Week honor for Whidden and her first this season.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

ALINE REIS, UCF

Sophomore, GK, Campinas, Brazil

Reis helped the Knights to two-consecutive shutout wins on the week, including a 1-0 shutout over No. 4 Florida State on Thursday. In the game against the Seminoles, Reis posted nine saves while playing 104:59 minutes in goal. The sophomore followed up that performance on Sunday afternoon with one save against USF, while playing all 90 minutes for the Knights. This marks the first Player of the Week award for Reis this season, but she was a four-time winner in 2008.