From St. Joseph’s College, Clinton Hill

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Nov. 3, 2014 – St. Joseph’s College is proud to announce that Brooklyn Campus freshman Cansu Usta will be featured in both Sports Illustrated and Newsweek for her athletic accomplishments in women’s soccer. Recognizing her outstanding rookie campaign that currently sees her sitting atop the NCAA leaderboard in goal scoring and points, Usta will be showcased in the Nov. 3 issue of Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd section and in a Newsweek feature published online on Thursday, Oct. 30.

“On behalf of the entire College community, I commend Cansu on her extraordinary accomplishments on the soccer field,” stated Dr. Jack P. Calareso, president, St. Joseph’s College. “Her dedication, ability, and excellence both in the classroom and as part of our soccer program bring great credit to St. Joseph’s, and we are fortunate to have her talents and abilities among our community of scholars and learners.”

This marks the first time a Brooklyn Campus student-athlete has been featured in either national publication. Through games played Sunday, Usta leads the NCAA in all divisions, both men and women, with 36 goals and 79 pts. The freshman forward tallied a goal in 11 of 15 games and recorded hat tricks in six games, leading the women’s soccer team to a program-best 11-5 mark.

The Fort Hamilton H.S. product scored six goals in a game twice this season, most recently against Medgar Evers two weeks ago. Her six tallies are most in an NCAA single game this season, sharing the mark with five others, including teammate Shannon Fahy (Breezy Point, N.Y.). Usta’s 2.25 goals per game would also set a new NCAA single season record that has stood since 1989 when Collette Cunningham of Marymount University (Va.) scored 39 goals in 18 games for a 2.17 goals per game average.