Shoko Mikami (Memphis/Chiba, Japan) and Paul Leitelt (Valparaiso/Munster, Ind.) each enjoyed stellar offensive performances during the opening weekend of the 2006 season and have been named the inaugural NSCAA Players of the Week.

Mikami tallied 13 points for the Tigers in a pair of road games to open the season, while Leitelt played a crucial role in both season-opening victories for the Crusaders.

Each week, a male and female player will be selected by a committee from a nomination pool comprised of players of the week from each NCAA Division I soccer conference. The players will be announced each Wednesday afternoon from Aug. 30 until Nov. 1 through NSCAA.com, the official website of the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. They also will be recognized at halftime of the NSCAA College Game of the Week on Fox Soccer Channel, a schedule of 20 men’s and women’s intercollegiate matches which begin on Wednesday, Sept. 6, when Marquette’s women’s team will face Saint Louis.


Shoko Mikami, F, Sr., Memphis, Chiba, Japan
Mikami, the 2005 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year, recorded hat tricks in a pair of Memphis road victories during the season’s opening weekend. She posted three goals on Friday against Tennessee Tech, then added three more and also picked up an assist in the 7-0 win at Tennessee-Martin on Sunday, giving her 13 points for the weekend. Her six goals came off just eight shots and moved her into second place on the all-time goals list and third on the school’s career points chart.

Paul Leitelt, M, So., Valparaiso, Munster, Ind.
Leitelt led the Crusaders to two victories in their first two games of the year. The sophomore midfielder started the season by scoring a goal and assisting on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 victory against DePaul. Leitelt then exploded in a 5-4 win over Evansville, netting the first Crusader hat trick in 11 years and assisting on the game-winner in the second overtime. For the week, Leitelt notched four goals, matching his freshman year total, and two assists for a total of ten points.

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