SoccerTimes.com 2006 College Men's Player of the Week Awards.

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Men's College Player of the Week
August 25-27, 2006

Paul Leitelt

Paul Leitelt
Valparaiso
sophomore midfielder
Hobart, Ind.

It was a wild opening weekend for Valparaiso and, thanks to Paul Leitelt, the Crusaders won their first two games of a season for the first time since 1987. Leitelt had four goals and two assists as Valpo blanked DePaul 2-0 Friday, then mounted a series of comebacks in outlasting Evansville 5-4 in overtime Sunday. The season was nine minutes old when Leitelt started the decisive sequence against DePaul, feeding Jon Brighton whose cross was put away by Steve Shively for a 1-0 lead. In the 54th minute, Tyler Pagano feigned taking a free kick and Leitlet blasted it home for the 2-0 final.

Paul Leitelt

Valparaiso University photos
All three of Leitelt's tallies against Evansville came with his team behind as the Crusaders erased deficits of 2-0, 3-1 and 4-3, before he assisted the game-winner. He completed his hat trick when he knocked home D.J. Catrow's chip for a 4-4 tie with 1:58 remaining in regulation. Then, in the 14th minute of extra time, he laced a free kick that diving goalkeeper Alec Duffy was able to stop, but not control. Shively quickly found net with the rebound for the emotional victory. In one weekend, Leitelt equalled the four goals he scored after playing in all 18 games as a freshman and he doubled his assists total from 2005. The last Crusader hat trick came September 17, 1995 when Bryan McCulloch scored three times against Bradley.

Best of the rest

Riley O'Neill

University of Kentucky web site photo
Riley O'Neill
Kentucky
senior forward
Campbell River, B.C., Canada

Kentucky got off to a 2-0 start behind Riley O'Neill, who had four goals, including three to lead Kentucky past Florida Atlantic 3-0 and the decisive tally in the 2-1 decision over Wisconsin-Green Bay. Against FAU, O'Neill registered just the sixth hat trick in Wildcats history. After an exchange of penalty kicks in the UWGB match, he held off a defender while accepting a pass from Jase Griffiths on the left corner. Despite the opponent on his hip, the Canadian found the lower left corner of the net in the 56th minute. O’Neill's four goals matched his total for 2005 and he has 15 for his career.

Honor roll

Jacek Przednowek
Robert Morris
junior forward
Brantford, Ont., Canada

A day after Robbert Morris opened its season with a 4-0 loss to Cleveland State, Jacek Przednowek rediscovered the scoring touch he used to lead the Northeast Conference with 14 goals in 2005. He exploded for four goals Sunday to pace RMU's 6-1 triumph over visiting Manhattan. Taking only five shots, he had three goals in the first 34th minutes and added his fourth in the 48th. Przednowek is 10th on the Colonials all-time list with 18 tallies in 22 outings at the Pittsburgh school.

Leone Cruz

Southern Methodist University web site photo
Leone Cruz
Southern Methodist
freshman defender
Round Rock, Texas

Leone Cruz started his collegiate career by scoring both game-winners in Southern Methodist's opening weekend, 1-0 decisions over Wisconsin and Wisconsin-Milwaukee at Tulsa's Golden Hurricane Classic. Cruz came off the bench to connect from 20 yards in overtime against Wisconsin and from 10 yards in the 84th minute against UWM, leading to him being named tournament "Most Valuable Player.

Sal Caccavale

American University web site photo
Sal Caccavale
American
senior midfielder-forward
West Islip, N.Y.

Caccavale scored the game-winning goal in each of the American victories that gave the Eagles bragging rights in Washingtonwith the D.C. College Cup title at home. He bent home a 25-yard shot to put AU ahead for good in the 2-0 decision over Howard Friday, then connected with a 19-yard free kick with 2:07 remaining in regulation of Sunday's 2-1 triumph over Georgetown, giving him 15 career tallies.