Goucher Goes with Weiner, Harkavy as October's Top Athletes

TOWSON, Md. — A sophomore goalkeeper who broke the women's soccer program's single-season record for shutouts and a junior defender who turned the men's soccer team into a contender for the Landmark Conference playoffs have been selected  Goucher's Female and Male Gophers of the Month for October.

Juliana Harkavy (Memphis, Tenn./Ridgeway) was in goal for Goucher for every minute of all eight games the soccer team played in October. After making 36 saves and allowing 12 goals in the first seven contests, she turned in an eight-save performance against Rosemont on Oct. 29 for her fourth shutout of the month, eighth of the season and 14th of her career.

The former record for shutouts in a month, which Harkavy and two other players shared, was six.

"Juliana really hit her stride the last few weeks of our season," said head women's soccer coach Tati Korba. "We saw her confidence growing game by game and she made some huge saves for us down the stretch. Much like our team this season, Juliana peaked at the right time. She is a great player and has done a tremendous amount for our program in just two years."

For the men, the monthly honor went to Brandon Weiner (Derwood, Md./Col. Zadok A. Magruder) for the role he played in holding five of the seven opponents the soccer team faced during October to two goals or less. He also supplied Goucher with its only goal when the Gophers battled Juniata through 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods to a 1-1 draw.

"Brandon has been one of our most consistent performers since he arrived at Goucher," according to Bryan Laut, who is in his fourth season as the head coach of Goucher's men's soccer program. "This season saw us reach new heights as a program and he was instrumental in leading and organizing a young defense that allowed us to compete successfully against everyone on our schedule. He has shown once again he is one of the most consistent defenders in the Landmark Conference while also being a threat in the attack and is a true leader on our team."

The selections of Harkavy and Weiner as October's Gophers of the Month, announced today, were made by the school's sports information staff, in consultation with coaches and other athletic administrators. Also considered on the women's side were senior outside hitter Megan Chalk (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) from the volleyball team and junior forward Justine Ruhlin (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) from the field hockey team. Weiner beat out sophomore Seth Hoesman (Ellicott City, Md./Howard) and senior David Spivey (Cockeysville, Md./The Park School) from the men's tennis team for his honor.