By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Fresh off perfect 2-0 weekend that saw the Tennessee Tech soccer team outscore its opponents 10-0 to start league play, two Golden Eagles were honored for their efforts with a pair of conference weekly accolades.
Yao Giada Zhou was named the Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her career and Selma Askildsen was named the OVC's Co-Defensive Player of the Week, sharing the distinction with Morehead State's Sarah Faloon. Askildsen's achievement marks the fourth such honor in her standout Tech tenure.
Tech's two weekly accolades gives the Golden Eagles three weekly awards this year after Maggie Conrad was named the OVC's Co-Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 12. It is also the first time TTU receives two weekly honors on the same day since Oct. 18, 2022 when Conrad was recognized as the OVC Goalkeeper of the Week and Chloe Smith as the OVC Offensive Player of the Week.
Giada Zhou is coming off a historical performance in Tech's 7-0 victory over Southern Indiana on Sunday in which the senior midfielder tied the school record with seven points behind a pair of goals and a trio of assists. The San Michele al Tagliamento, Italy native became the third Golden Eagle with seven points in a single match, joining Chloe Smith's seven-point showing in last year's OVC Tournament semifinal win over Lindenwood and TTU Hall of Famer Jill Burns' seven-point performance against Murray State on Oct. 24, 2003.
Giada Zhou scored Tech's first goal against the Screaming Eagles in the 13th minute and also registered TTU's seventh and final score in the 67th minute. The senior's three assists came on Golden Eagle goals in the 16th, 27th and 60th minutes. The three helpers tied the second-most assists in a single match in program history and marked the second time Giada Zhou collected three in a contest after accomplishing the feat in a 4-1 win over Furman on Aug. 25, 2022.
Selma Askildsen's fourth career weekly honor came on the heels of helping guide the Golden Eagles to back-to-back shutouts over Lindenwood and Southern Indiana to run Tech's current unbeaten streak to four consecutive matches. The senior defender tallied all possible 180 minutes in the two clashes, and in Thursday's triumph over the Lions, Askildsen served as a critical part of a dominating defensive showing that saw Tech allow only two total shots for the lowest total in the last 17 matches, dating back to 2022.
Askildsen also notched her first career goal in Sunday's victory over USI, splitting the pipes in the 16th minute to push the purple and gold to a 2-0 edge in a match TTU would go on to tie the school record for goals scored with seven.
Giada Zhou, Askildsen and the rest of the Golden Eagles will prepare to hit the pitch just once this week, with another home affair on the books on Sunday, Oct. 1. TTU will host Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. CT and admission to Tech Soccer Field is free of charge.
Photos by Jim Dillon
