NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Dayton junior Jaden Jones-Riley was named Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Soccer Player of the Week while VCU senior Zeron Sewell earned the A-10 Defensive Player of the Week. VCU freshman Damian Gallegos was named the league Rookie of the Week.  The awards, the first weekly honors of the 2021 fall season, were for games played Aug. 26 – 29.
 
Jones-Riley recorded his first career hat trick in the win over UAB to open the season Friday as the Flyers cruised to a 5-1 victory over the Blazers. He went on to play 106 minutes in the double overtime draw against Memphis Sunday to cap off the week. The Tallahassee, Fla., native normally plays right-back, but started both games as a forward and was able to add an assist versus UAB as well to rack up seven points over the two-game stretch.
 
Sewell played 180 minutes as VCU won 2-0 at No. 7 Wake Forest on Thursday and earned a 1-1 draw at No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday. Sewell, a center back from Morant Bay, Jamaica, anchored the Rams' defense, which shut out the Demon Deacons despite playing down a man for the final 21 minutes of the match. Against the Tar Heels, VCU conceded just one goal despite North Carolina taking 50 shots, with the defense allowing only 14 of those on goal. In the 88th minute, Sewell stepped in front of a shot bound for the goal to preserve the tie.
 
Gallegos earned a team-high three points in the first two matches of his collegiate career in VCU's win over No. 7 Wake Forest and 1-1 draw at No. 4 North Carolina on Sunday. In his collegiate debut against the Demon Deacons, the midfielder from Mechanicsville, Va., deflected a corner kick to Simon Fitch for the opening goal. Against the Tar Heels, Gallegos combined with Fitch again for the Rams' lone goal, collecting a cross and finishing coolly across goal to the side netting.