Sanna Talonen (Florida State/Tampere, Finland) and Avery Steinlage (Michigan State/Grand Haven, Mich.) have earned NSCAA National Player of the Week honors for Oct. 22.

Talonen had two goals and an assist to help the Seminoles to a pair of wins over nationally-ranked foes, while Steinlage made 14 saves against two ranked opponents, including 10 to spark the Spartans to a 1-0 conference win over No. 18 Michigan.

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 now until Nov. 10 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. This week the women’s broadcast features a Southeastern Conference clash with Auburn facing Georgia at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 23. The Oct. 24 men’s game of the week finds the College of Charleston visiting Furman, also at 8 p.m. ET.

Sanna Talonen
F, So., Florida State, Tampere, Finland
Talonen led the eighth-ranked Seminoles to a pair of wins over nationally-ranked opponents. Talonen delivered a goal and an assist to key FSU to a 5-0 win over No. 16 Wake Forest last Thursday, and her first-half goal on Sunday gave the Seminoles a two-goal lead in an eventual 5-2 win over No. 9 Duke. Talonen's five points helped FSU register back-to-back five-goal games for the first time in school history. Her 10 goals and 23 points this season are team bests. Though only a sophomore, she is already tied for fourth on FSU's all-time career lists with 28 goals, and her 65 points rank eighth.

Avery Steinlage
GK, So., Michigan State, Grand Haven, Mich.
Steinlage stopped 14 shots on goal over the weekend, including 10 saves in a 1-0 shutout victory over No. 18 Michigan. Against No. 14 Illinois-Chicago, the sophomore tallied four saves as the Spartans defeated the Flames 3-1. Michigan State is now 7-2 with Steinlage in the box.

This Year’s Recipients
Sept. 3: Women – Jenae Gibbens, Cal State Fullerton; Men – Baggio Husidic, UIC.
Sept. 10: Women – Lindsay Taylor, Stanford; Men – Sam Petrone, Seton Hall.
Sept. 17: Women – Briana Silvestri, Arizona State; Men – Paul King, Fairleigh Dickinson.
Sept. 24: Women – Kathleen Caggiano, Robert Morris; Men – Alejandro Bedoya, Boston College
Oct. 1: Women – Kelly Dyer, Texas A&M; Men – Austin Berry, Louisville
Oct. 8: Women – Casey Nogueira, North Carolina; Men – Jake Stacy, Michigan
Oct. 15: Women – Kristina Larsen, UCLA; Men – Steffen Vroom, DePaul

NSCAA members log in to comment. Not a member? Learn more today.