Ohio State women’s soccer senior defender Lauren Granberg’s hat trick against Nebraska got her something extra in addition to helping the Buckeyes beat the Cornhuskers.
After a three-goal effort against Nebraska on Sunday, Granberg was named Co-Big Ten Player of the Week.
Granberg, who shares the award with Minnesota sophomore forward Taylor Uhl, said she does not mind sharing the title with Uhl and is happy to be credited for her work on the field. Monday’s Big Ten Conference honor is the second of Granberg’s career.
“It was still good to put in all that work and finally get some recognition, but obviously I’m excited and enthusiastic about it,” Granberg said. “I will still need to be levelheaded and grounded because the work’s not done yet.”
Granberg’s honor is the fifth Big Ten award for the Buckeye team this season. Granberg said the number of awards the team has garnered indicates the team should not be sold short.
“I think it just goes to show how hard our team is coming out to work this year and the expectations that we have for one another,” Granberg said. “Having that many awards for our team just shows that our team is not to be underestimated by any means.”
The Canada native made Buckeye history on Sunday when the Buckeyes defeated Nebraska, 4-0. The three-goal outing marked the first hat trick of Granberg’s career, as well the 10th hat trick in OSU women’s soccer history.
Granberg attributed her hat trick to the help of her teammates.
“We focused as a team on shooting and combinational work with each other,” Granberg said. “I couldn’t have gotten any of those goals without my teammates and without their hard work.”
Senior forward Tiffany Cameron assisted Granberg on two of the goals and said Granberg’s hard work is what helped her score on Sunday.
“(Granberg) has been working really hard and came through for us last weekend when we needed her,” Cameron said. “She is really good at finding the ball and finding space.”
Coach Lori Walker also attributed Granberg’s performance over the weekend to her work ethic and leadership.
“No. 1, she is our captain …” Walker said. “She works so hard and covers a ton of ground.”
Granberg said she is happy with her performance so far this season but she still has goals she wants to accomplish before her senior season is over.
“I would love to hit double digits in goals and continue to give my team some assists,” Granberg said. “It would be absolutely amazing to see Tiffany Cameron break the record for goals scored and if I can have any part in that in helping her to achieve that goal along with my goal, that would definitely make me happy.”
Granberg and the Buckeyes are scheduled to battle against Michigan on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.