SoCon Women’s Soccer Players of the Week: Mercer’s Bori, ETSU’s Yelton Earn Honors
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Mercer midfielder Olivia Bori and East Tennessee State goalkeeper Addison Yelton have been named the Southern Conference Women’s Soccer Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for matches played Aug. 18-24.
Bori turned in a five-point performance to help Mercer earn its first home victory of the season, while Yelton anchored an ETSU defense that posted consecutive shutouts.
Bori Powers Mercer Offense
Bori continued her strong start to the 2026 season with a pair of standout performances for the Bears.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native scored Mercer's lone goal in a 3-1 loss at Maine on Aug. 20. Maine enters the season as the reigning America East champion after capturing the conference title in each of the past three seasons.
Bori followed that performance with a dominant showing in Mercer's home opener three days later, contributing to three of the Bears' eight goals in an 8-0 victory over South Carolina State.
The senior midfielder scored twice in the second half, finding the net in the 57th and 61st minutes. She also recorded an assist on Elizabeth Michaelson's goal in the 48th minute.
Through the opening weeks of the season, Bori leads the SoCon in both goals and points with four goals and nine points.
The award marks Bori's second consecutive SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honor, following Payton Nutzman's selection on Aug. 18.
Yelton Anchors ETSU's Defense
Yelton was equally impressive on the defensive end, playing all 180 minutes in goal for ETSU last week as the Buccaneers secured two shutout victories.
The redshirt junior opened the week with two saves in ETSU's 1-0 victory over West Georgia on Aug. 20.
Three days later, the Johnson City, Tennessee, native recorded another pair of saves as the Bucs blanked UNC Asheville, 2-0.
Yelton's performances helped ETSU maintain a perfect defensive record across the two matches while securing back-to-back victories.
The honor is the first SoCon Defensive Player of the Week award of Yelton's career. She follows Samford goalkeeper Peyton Hull, who earned the conference's first defensive honor of the 2026 season on Aug. 18.
What's Next for Mercer and ETSU
Both teams return to action this week with nonconference matchups.
Mercer will host Georgia Southern on Thursday before welcoming Georgia on Sunday.
ETSU will travel to Longwood on Sunday.
Additional Players Receiving Consideration
Other players nominated for SoCon Offensive Player of the Week were Samantha Grantham of The Citadel, Reagan Fitzgerald of ETSU, Sam De Luca of Samford, Paige Thomas of Chattanooga and Tori Soutuyo of Tennessee Tech.
Defensive nominees included Zoe Santos of The Citadel, Anna Bachman of Mercer, Alex Parr of Samford, Landry Olson of Chattanooga and Tori Soutuyo of Tennessee Tech.
2026 SoCon Women’s Soccer Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Aug. 18 — Payton Nutzman, So., MF, Mercer
Aug. 25 — Olivia Bori, Sr., MF, Mercer
Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 18 — Peyton Hull, Jr., GK, Samford
Aug. 25 — Addison Yelton, R-Jr., GK, ETSU
