Hishmeh Earns NWC Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week

By Mark Colachico, Interim Assistant Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, ORE. -- Yazan Hishmeh (Jr., F, Ventura, CA/Saint Bonaventure HS) of Willamette University has been selected as the Northwest Conference Men's Soccer Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week for the week ending on Sept. 14. Hishmeh scored a combined four goals, including the second hat trick of his career, in two games last week.

Hishmeh finished the week with nine points behind the aforementioned four goals to go along with one assist.

In the Bearcats' 3-2 loss against the University of California-Santa Cruz on Friday, Hishmeh scored his first goal of the season on a penalty kick in the 77th minute that brought Willamette within a single goal of the Banana Slugs.

Twenty-four hours later against Multnomah University (Ore.), Hishmeh scored three goals and handed out an assist in 31 minutes of action. In the 11th minute, Hishmeh tallied his second goal of the season before adding back-to-back goals within 77 seconds of each other in the second half. Hishmeh's second goal of the game came at 51:03 before he added his third and final goal of the night at 52:21.

In two-plus seasons with the Bearcats, Hishmeh has scored 20 goals, handed out nine assists, and tallied 49 points in 40 career games.

Willamette returns to the pitch on Saturday, September 20, against Whitman College (Wash.) beginning at 2:30 p.m. (PST) in Spokane, Washington.