ATLANTA -- Mamadou Danso from Southern Polytechnic was named the Southern States Athletic Conference Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Mon., while Shorter's Robert Whitnell was tabbed as the SSAC Men's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. Both SPSU and Shorter finished the week with a pair of key wins and are now in the top two in the SSAC standings.

Danso, who normally plays an attacking role for SPSU, made his first two starts of the sesaon at center back. The Serekunda, Gambia native anchored the Runnin' Hornets defense which allowed just two shots on goal during two matches during the week. In a 2-1 win over Southern Wesleyan, the tight defense allowed just one shot on goal. Similarly, the defense held Tennessee Wesleyan to just one shot on goal in a 6-0 white-wash on the weekend. In that win Danso added three goals in addition to his defensive responsibilities.

Whitnell, who hails from Brentwood, England, had an exceptional match against the Hawks' cross-town rivals Berry College. In the 4-3 win over Berry he scored all four goals, including the match-winner in overtime. The win was the first for the Hawks over Berry since the soccer program began at Shorter. Shorter also beat AUM 2-0 on Sun. to move into first place in the league standings. Whitnell did not score or assist in that match.