NEWARK, N.J. — NJIT Women's Soccer senior midfielder Gabby Zalot has earned the first America East Offensive Player of the Week award of the season, the conference announced Monday afternoon.

Zalot helped NJIT open the 2023 campaign unbeaten in a pair of home matches (1-0-1) and had a record-setting performance in the Highlanders' 7-0 rout of Saint Peter's on August 20. The Levittown, Pa. native - who had never scored a collegiate goal in 34 previous games between NJIT and Valparaiso - netted two goals and set up two others against the Peacocks to set a new NJIT Division I record (since 2006) for points in a game with six. The previous D-I mark was five points, last set by teammate Bailey Chant on September 4, 2021 at home against Saint Peter's and first done by alumna Kori Washington on October 24, 2007 against Howard.

The seven-goal victory against Saint Peter's also tied the program's record for goals in a game, set seven years ago in head coach Ally Nick's fourth-ever game leading the Highlanders on August 29, 2016.

The award for Zalot is her first career America East honor, NJIT's fourth-ever Offensive Player of the Week accolade, and the program's 13th weekly award overall since joining the conference in July 2020. Zalot 's opening weekend award comes one year after teammate Ciara Adams earned the same honor after NJIT's 4-0 win over LIU in the 2022 season opener.

Bryant's Selena Negron and Maine's Luise Reinwald earned this week's respective Defensive Player and Rookie of the Week awards.

NJIT hits the road for the first time later in the week when the team heads out West for the first of two games in California against California Baptist (August 24 at 10 p.m. Eastern). The Highlanders will wrap up the trip on August 27 against UC Riverside at 2 p.m. Eastern.

NJIT AMERICA EAST WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
All-Time - 13: Offensive - 4 | Defensive - 5 | Rookie - 4

2023
Aug. 21 - Gabby Zalot, Offensive Player of the Week

2022
Oct. 24 - Riley Jones, Rookie of the Week
Oct. 17 - Riley Jones, Rookie of the Week
Oct. 10 - Briana Andreoli, Rookie of the Week
Aug. 29 - Molly Saylor, Defensive Player of the Week
Aug. 22 - Ciara Adams, Offensive Player of the Week

2021
Oct. 25 - Madison Taibl, Defensive Player of the Week
Oct. 18 - Molly Saylor, Defensive Player of the Week
Sept. 7 - Bailey Chant, Offensive Player of the Week
Sept. 7 - Siani Magruder, Defensive Player of the Week

2020
Mar. 2, '21 - Molly Saylor, Defensive Player of the Week
Feb. 23, '21 - Corbin Reifschneider, Offensive Player of the Week
Feb. 23, '21 - Corbin Reifschneider, Rookie of the Week