Manabe Earns KJCCC Soccer Player of the Week Award

COLBY, Kan. – Following a week where she scored four goals across two games, No. 18-ranked Butler soccer midfielder Sakiko Manabe has been named the KJCCC Player of the Week.

Manabe, a freshman from Tanabe, Japan, was crucial in the Grizzlies going 2-0 last week with wins over then-No. 16 Cowley and Garden City, both KJCCC foes.

On Wednesday at Cowley, Manabe scored the first and last goals of the game. The last goal turned out to be the game winner in the 87th minute as the Grizzlies escaped Arkansas City with a 3-2 victory. She finished with four shots in the game.

The Grizzlies returned home on Saturday to take on Garden City and Manabe continued to be on fire offensively. She launched two goals in the second half on the way to helping the Grizzlies win 5-1 over the Broncbusters. She finished with four shots in the game.

Manabe leads Butler with eight goals this season, with the next highest Grizzly goal scorer coming in at four goals scored (Kaitlin Erwin).

She joins sophomore goalkeeper Carla Apodaca as the only Grizzly soccer student-athletes to be KJCCC weekly award winners this season after Apodaca was named Keeper of the Week on Sept. 5 as she compiled 16 saves in two matches.

Manabe and the Grizzlies resume action on Wednesday vs. Seward at 4 p.m. from BG Products Veterans Sports Complex. The final regular season game of the season is on Saturday at 2 p.m. as Butler hosts Dodge City.