Addy Hess Wins Second SEC Freshman of the Week Title

Another Gator soccer player has been awarded an SEC honor.  Addy Hess has been awarded SEC Freshman Player of the Week for the second time this season. She shares this week’s title with Georgia forward Mya Townes.

This award comes after Hess scored the game-winning goal against No.12 Mississippi State on Friday. After a cross from Lena Bailey in right field, Hess rebounded her own deflected first shot, putting the Gators up 2-1. This was a crucial win for a Gator team that is desperate for points late in the SEC season.

 “We’ve been on the edge of winning, unbeaten for four games,” Hess said. “To finally get a win to this high of a ranked team is such a special feeling for this team because we’ve worked so hard for it.”

Hess has proved to be a valuable addition to this team. She redshirted her freshman season at Penn State before transferring to Florida last spring. Hess is now tied as the leading goal scorer for Florida (four), alongside fellow freshman Kai Tsakiris, with the goal against Mississippi State.

Her first two collegiate goals came back-to-back against Maryland in August, a performance that earned her the SEC Freshman Player of the Week honor for the first time. The Gators have earned four SEC honors this season, with Tsakiris and Paloma Pena both earning honors in September.

Florida is now 2-2-3 in SEC play ahead of their match against No. 4 Tennessee. The Gators are now on a five-match unbeaten streak, with three draws and two wins since Sept. 21. Hess and the rest of the team hope to bring this momentum into their game on Thursday.

“I feel like that gave us so much confidence going into the next game,” Hess said. “So we’re prepared to go and battle against Tennessee.”

Category: Gainesville, Gator Sports, Gators Soccer, NCAA, Soccer