FRISCO, Texas – McNeese defender Rebecca Romero and goalkeeper Shannon Dempsey have been named Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Week and Goalkeeper of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Tuesday morning. The duo becomes the second and third Cowgirls to earn Southland weekly honors this season.

Romero helped anchor the Cowgirls' backline through a 2-0 week, playing all 180 minutes while McNeese recorded consecutive shutout victories over Louisiana Tech and Grambling. In Thursday's 2-0 victory over Louisiana Tech, the Cowgirls' defense held the Bulldogs to 11 shots, with just two on target. The backline continued its strong play Sunday in a 1-0 win over Grambling, limiting the Lady Tigers to nine shots, with four on target.

Dempsey anchored the Cowgirls between the posts, playing all 180 minutes while helping McNeese secure back-to-back shutouts. She faced 20 shots across the two matches and recorded six saves, keeping both Louisiana Tech and Grambling off the scoreboard. The two solo shutouts bring Dempsey's season total to three, with one additional combined shutout on the year. With the two victories, Dempsey improved to 4-1 on the season in goal.
 
SLC Weekly Honors
Offensive: Paige Baumgartner, Northwestern State
Offensive Honorable Mention: Olivia Rossman, Houston Christian
Defensive: Rebecca Romero, McNeese
Goalkeeper: Shannon Dempsey, McNeese
 
2026 Cowgirl SLC Weekly Honors
Aug. 18 – Alexandra Arvanitis, Defensive Player
Sept. 8 – Rebecca Romero, Defensive Player
Sept. 8 – Shannon Dempsey, Goalkeeper