DENVER – San Josè State's David Sweeney has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for Oct. 21-27.
Sweeney, a freshman goalkeeper from Morgan Hill, Calif. (Sobrato HS), was strong in net to help lead the Spartans to a pair of shutout victories last week. He made 11 saves in Friday's 3-0 win over Utah Valley, including a penalty kick stop in the match's 90th minute to preserve his clean sheet. He followed that up with another four saves in a 2-0 victory against Air Force on Sunday afternoon.
Sweeney's 43 saves in conference play is tied for the second most in the WAC this season.
"It is a well deserved recognition for the two clean sheets against top opposition," says head coach Simon Tobin. "Although he's only a freshman, David has demonstrated he is up to the task of anchoring our defense."
This marks the first weekly honor of Sweeney's career and the first for SJSU this season. In addition, the defensive player of the week nod is the first for the program since goalkeeper Alex Clewis received the award following the first week of play in 2018.
The freshman keeper has notched three shutouts in 10 appearances and will look to keep things rolling as San José State hits the road for three consecutive matches.
The road trip will get underway on Friday in Edinburg, Texas at UTRGV. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (CT) at the UTRGV Soccer and Track & Field Complex.
Other defensive nominees: CSU Bakersfield's Detre Bell pitched a pair of home shutouts for the 'Runners, making four total saves in wins over UIW and UT Rio Grande Valley … Grand Canyon's Austin Day played strong defense for the Lopes in an overtime loss to Houston Baptist and a tough match with Kansas City … UT Rio Grande Valley's Andy Rios recorded his 12th career shutout, and seventh of the 2019 season, in a 1-0 win at California Baptist on Friday.