Women's Soccer Picks Up Two Big South Weekly Awards
8/31/2026 3:35:00 PM | Women's Soccer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Following a dominant performance in USC Upstate women's soccer's 4-0 victory over Hampton, Liana Bryant and Danielle Trovato have earned weekly honors from the Big South Conference, the league announced Monday. Bryant was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Week, while Trovato was selected as the Big South Defensive Player of the Week.
The pair helped lead the Spartans to a convincing shutout victory over the Pirates Sunday at County University Soccer Stadium, with Bryant providing a pair of first-half goals and Trovato contributing on both ends of the field while playing the full 90 minutes.
Bryant Named Offensive Player of the Week
Bryant turned in a highly efficient offensive performance against Hampton, scoring two goals for four points while recording three shots and placing two on frame.
The Spartan wasted little time making her presence felt, opening the scoring just 3:29 into the match. Bryant connected on assists from Lily MacCausland and Jasmyn Mitchner to give Upstate an early 1-0 advantage. The goal ultimately stood as the game-winner.
Bryant struck again in the 39th minute, taking a feed from Annabelle Wunderlich and finding the back of the net to extend Upstate's advantage to 3-0 heading toward halftime.
In just 65 minutes on the pitch, Bryant scored on both of her shots on goal and accounted for half of the Spartans' four goals. She averaged a goal every 32.5 minutes while helping Upstate establish control early and carry a three-goal advantage into the break.
Bryant vs. Hampton: 65 minutes | 2 goals | 4 points | 3 shots | 2 shots on goal | 1 game-winning goal
Trovato Named Defensive Player of the Week
Trovato earned Defensive Player of the Week recognition following a complete 90-minute performance that helped the Spartans secure their first clean sheet of the season.
With Trovato on the field for the entirety of the match, Upstate's defense held Hampton scoreless and limited the Pirates to just two shots on goal. Hampton finished with 10 total shot attempts, but the Spartan defense prevented the Pirates from generating consistent quality chances as goalkeeper Hannah Wilt needed just two saves to preserve the shutout.
Trovato also made her presence felt on the offensive end. In the 58th minute, she connected on an assist from Cansu Kara to score Upstate's fourth and final goal of the afternoon. She finished the match with one goal, two points, two shots and one shot on goal.
Her performance gave Upstate production on both ends of the pitch, contributing to a defensive unit that surrendered no goals while also finding the back of the net herself.
Trovato vs. Hampton: 90 minutes | 1 goal | 2 points | 2 shots | 1 shot on goal | 4-0 shutout | Hampton limited to 2 shots on goal
The two weekly awards come following a performance that saw Upstate score three times in the opening 39 minutes before adding another goal in the second half. The Spartans finished the match with a 15-10 advantage in shots, 7-2 advantage in shots on goal and 11-3 advantage in corner kicks while improving to 2-1-1 on the season.
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