Conway – The Missouri Valley Conference announced its weekly awards for men's soccer on Monday, and for the second time this season, junior Wes Carson was named the league's Offensive Player of the Week.

Carson, who also earned the award on September 8^th, opened his week with a goal off of a cross from William Woody at Oral Roberts on Tuesday night, before really getting things going on Saturday against Evansville. With the Bears needing a win over the Purple Aces to secure a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, the Fort Smith, Arkansas native turned in the best performance of his career, collecting the Bears' first hat trick since 2004. He got the Bears on the board in the 43^rd minute, fielding a cross from Tyler Ridener in the Evansville box and firing it into the top-right corner for his seventh goal of the season. He struck again in the 51^st minute, gathering a rebound off of Evansville keeper Greg Niven and tapping it home from two yards out, before completing the hat trick in the 75^th minute, when he got a cross from Blake Stricker and hammered it home from six yards out for his league-leading ninth goal of the season.



"Wes is a player that is always a threat to score," said UCA head coach Ross Duncan of the junior forward. "He can create on his own or he can finish off chances created by teammates. The more switched on he is in a match, the more dangerous he is."

Duncan continued, pointing to Carson's line against Evansville, "Look at Saturday's match, nine shots and six on target. That's productivity, and he earned those chances with his movement, work rate, and opportunism. Wes has really worked hard this season and I'm proud of how far he's come. I know he's still got more in him too, which is the exciting part."

Carson and the Bears close out the regular season on the road on Saturday, travelling to Springfield, Missouri for a 7:00 match at Missouri State.