Big East Honors Have Local Flavor

UConn, Providence Tout Award Winners

October 31, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – UConn’s O’Brian White was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week for the fifth time this season while Providence’s Nick Cianci was picked as conference’s Rookie of the Week.

White notched six points in two Huskies’ wins last week. The junior forward tallied both goals in UConn’s 2-1 win at Yale on Oct. 24. He then assisted on each goal in a 2-1 overtime win at home on Oct. 27. White sent in a centering pass to teammate Ryan Cordeiro in the 97th minute to lift the Huskies to victory. White also assisted on the game’s first goal, just under the nine-minute mark.

Not only is it White’s fifth Offensive Player of the Week award this season, he’s also earned the honor in three of the past four weeks. White is the NCAA leader in goals and points after tallying at least one point in six of the last seven games. With the six points from this past week, he moved into ninth place for single-season points in program history.

Meanwhile, in Providence, Cicani helped guide the Friars to a 1-0-1 week. The freshman midfielder tallied one of the game-winning assists in PC’s 3-2 single-overtime victory over Seton Hall on Oct. 24. In a 2-2 tie against Notre Dame on Oct. 28, Cianci tied the score at 1-1 with 45 seconds remaining in the first half. Cianci played the ball on his left foot at the corner of the six-yard box. The West Hartford, Conn. native turned on the defender and placed a shot into the side-netting just past the outstretched hands of the Notre Dame keeper.

It marks the second consecutive week that a Friar player has earned the league’s rookie of the week honors as Alex Redding (Newton, Mass.) earned the honor on October 22.

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