COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Sept. 14, 2015) – Wyoming sophomore defender Kimmy Burbank was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Week for her performance against the Kansas Jayhawks last Friday.
The native of Spring Branch, Texas, helped the Cowgirls defeat Kansas, 2-1, in an action packed match from start to finish. For the first time in her career she scored two goals in a single match. Her first goal of the evening was a header that came from a corner kick by sophomore forward Shaina Ashouri. She had a second header hit the back of the net from a free kick taken by junior defender Sammi Dunda.
“It’s nice to see success for a girl that works hard to be dominant in the air,” Cowgirl head coach Pete Cuadrado said. “She really tries hard to put herself in the right places.”
Burbank helped the Cowgirl defense hold Liana Salazar, ranked ninth in the country by TopDrawerSoccer, to one goal during the match. The victory moved Wyoming’s record at home to 3-0. The Cowgirls have not lost at the Louis S. Madrid Sports Complex since 2013. The win on Friday avenged last season’s loss to the Jayhawks, 3-1, in Lawrence, Kan.
Burbank tied Ashouri for the team lead with three goals on the season. Burbank leads the team in shot percentage at .500 and she has accumulated 305 minutes of playing time. This marks the first time Burbank has won Defensive Player of the Week honors. The last Cowgirl to win the Defensive Player of the Week award was Courtney Merkle in 2012.
The Cowgirls will return to action on Tuesday to face the Northern Colorado Bears at East High School in Cheyenne. Kick off will begin at 7 p.m. MT.
