Eclipse Select Alumni: DePaul's Ben rakes in Big East honor

DePaul's Alexa Ben

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and DePaul senior midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) has been named the Big East Conference Offensive Player of the Week.

Ben's second-career hat trick - and first of the 2017 season - catapulted the Blue Demons to a 6-3 victory against Villanova on Sunday. All three tallies came in the second half, within a 31-minute span.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Schedule unveiled for Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs Knockout Round

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@mlssoccer.com

NEW YORK – Following an action-packed Decision Day 2017 presented by AT&T that included an MLS single-day league record 46 goals across the 11 simultaneously-played matches, the Audi 2017 MLS Cup Playoffs berths and seeding have been set.

The postseason begins on Wednesday, October 26 and Thursday, October 27 with four single-elimination, intraconference Knockout Round matches. UniMás will air all four matches nationally in Spanish language, while ESPN2 and FS1 will each air a Knockout Round match in English. TSN and TVA Sports will provide coverage of all four Knockout Round matches nationally in Canada.

For more, visit mlssoccer.com.

Eclipse Select product Staton finishes 182nd at Chicago Marathon

Eclipse Select alumna Pam Staton

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Former Eclipse Select Soccer Club players raced during the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, and over the years it has been common to spot former club and collegiate standouts running this famed event. This year was no different.

Among the top finishers was former Loyola Chicago soccer player and cross country/track athlete Pam Staton (Ingleside, Ill.). She finished with a time of 3:08:54, which was good for 182nd place among all women and 50th in the 30-34 age group.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Atlanta United's Almirón voted No. 1 in MLSsoccer.com's 24 Under 24

By CHARLIE CORR
charlie.corr@mlssoccer.com

NEW YORK – MLSsoccer.com announced that Atlanta United midfielder Miguel Almirón has been voted the No. 1 player in the 2017 MLSsoccer.com 24 Under 24. The top 10 players were unveiled on a special edition of ExtraTime Live driven by Continental on Facebook Live.

Almirón headlines a star-studded group that features seven Young Designated Players, including fellow Atlanta player and eighth-ranked Héctor Villalba, Real Salt Lake teammates Albert Rusnák and Jefferson Savarino, D.C. United newcomer Paul Arriola, Houston Dynamo striker Alberth Elis and FC Dallas midfielder Carlos Gruezo. The average age of this Designated Player group is 22.5 years old.

For more, visit MLSsoccer.com.

Eclipse alumna Moulton named MVC Defensive Player of the Week

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Valparaiso goalkeeper Drew Moulton (Sycamore, Ill.) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week, an honor she has achieved for the second time this season. Moulton came up with seven saves and posted her third clean sheet during Valpo's 1-0 victory against Missouri State to open conference play on Saturday in Springfield, Mo.

In other news, DePaul senior midfielder Alexa Ben (Schaumburg, Ill.) has been selected as a finalist for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Eclipse Select alumna Foster pacing Ole Miss with nine tallies

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna and Ole Miss freshman Channing Foster (Murray, Ky.) is off to an impressive start for the Rebels, already putting her name on notice before Southeastern Conference play has even started.

Foster is scoring at a clip of more than a goal per game with nine tallies in eight matches thus far this season. This past weekend, she netted a first-half score to lead Ole Miss to a 1-0 victory at Memphis on Sunday.

For more, visit EclipseSelect.org.

Sitch preps for IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship

By CHARLIE CORR
slidetackles@mail.com

CHICAGO - Eclipse Select Soccer Club alumna Julianne Sitch (Oswego, Ill.), one of the top local talents on the pitch in the Chicagoland area, is now excelling in a different competitive outlet following her professional career.

This Saturday, the former DePaul and Chicago Red Stars midfielder will be competing in Chattanooga, Tenn. in the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.

"I didn't know what I was going to do competitively after playing soccer, but I knew I wanted to stay in the competitive world and compete," Sitch told Zoie Clift at IRONMAN.com. "This gave me that avenue after I retired from playing."

For the full interview, visit IRONMAN.com.