Kat Kirsch of Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) was selected as the Red River Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 28-Oct. 4.

Kirsch, a freshman goalkeeper from Georgetown, Texas, accounted for nine saves in 110 minutes in goal as the OLLU Saints forged a 0-0 tie against the University of Texas at Brownsville (UTB) in its first conference match.

UTB outshot the Saints, 28-5 as Kirsch held on. The Saints are 3-4-2 on the season. Kirsch shares her honor with UTB Jodie Hunter, a freshman goal keeper from Batley, England, who was the counterpart to Kirsch in the tie.

Kirsch also excels in academics as this year she was chosen to receive a $15,000 Moye scholarship to attend OLLU. The John Martin Moye Scholar Program is named for the founder of the Sisters of the Congregation of the Divine Providence, whose vision and commitment to service led to the University's founding in 1895. It represents the University's commitment to enroll, serve and reward academically driven, community-oriented, leadership-minded students. Kirsch, a graduate of Flower Mound High School, is majoring in biology.

OLLU invited 35 admitted students to apply for the scholarship. These students were asked to write a 500-word essay and complete a summary of academic awards and honors, service activities, extracurricular activities and employment. A committee of faculty and enrollment staff reviewed the applications and chose 12 students to invite to campus for interviews. During this interview conference, the students were interviewed by faculty and staff. Kirsch was one of the students chosen to be awarded the Moye Scholarship.

"The purpose of the scholarship program is to reward scholars for their extraordinary achievements," said Michael Acosta, OLLU Vice President for Enrollment Management. "The student recipients have also been encouraged to take a leadership role on campus."

The scholars are required to score above 1220 on their combined SAT verbal and SAT math and have above a 3.7 high school GPA.