DP Sports Player of the Week: Breukelen Woodard

A super performance from Penn women’s soccer’s super sub. 

Junior midfielder Breukelen Woodard has earned DP Sports Player of the Week for her efforts in this weekend’s games against Fairfield and Mount St. Mary’s. 

Woodard entered Friday’s game against Fairfield as a sub in the 27th minute. Just 20 minutes later, she found herself in on goal courtesy of a pass from her senior midfield partner Emily Sands. Upon receiving the feed, the junior calmly netted her first goal of the weekend and Penn’s only goal in its 1-1 tie against the Stags.

Two days later in the Quakers' matchup against Mount St. Mary’s, Woodard — now in the starting lineup — found the back of the net in the sixth minute, once again off a feed from Sands. Woodard’s goal propelled the Quakers to a 1-0 shutout win, their second of the season.

Woodard is no stranger to scoring against the Mountaineers. In her first game for the Red and Blue, a 5-0 win over Mount St. Mary’s last season, she recorded her only previous goal while also picking up an assist. 

Despite being a junior, Woodard is only playing in her second season for the Quakers. After transferring from South Carolina, where she appeared in 23 games and racked up four assists as a freshman, Woodard saw action in 13 games last season, getting the start in 12 of those while recording one goal and two assists.

With a season under her belt for the Red and Blue, Woodard’s success early on is a great sign for the Quakers who will need her chemistry with the other midfielders to be on point if they are going to defend their Ivy League title and challenge Princeton for a berth to the NCAA Tournament.

Her recent impact has been especially evident, with both of her goals this weekend coming in tight matches.

Next on the docket for Woodard and Penn is another weekend set against Bucknell and Loyola as the Red and Blue continue to prepare for the start of Ivy League play.