DENVER – San Josè State's David Sweeney has been named the Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week for Sept. 27-Oct. 3.
Sweeney, a junior goalkeeper from Morgan Hill, Calif. (Sobrato HS), helped lead the Spartans to shutout victories against Dixie State and UNLV last week. The keeper spent all 180 minutes in goal, earning the sixth and seventh shutouts of his career.
"David anchored our defense with some outstanding saves," says head coach Simon Tobin. "He was excellent in contributing to two clean sheets over the weekend. It was a great week for the team as a whole."
In addition to the clean sheets, Sweeney totaled 15 saves on the week. His 11 stops against the Rebels matched a career-high, a mark previously achieved back on Oct. 25, 2019 against Utah Valley.
32' - save!
— San José State Men's Soccer (@SanJoseStateMS) October 3, 2021
Sweeney keeps us in front with his second stop on this Sunday. #SpartanUp pic.twitter.com/tDlCJMreMR
Sweeney faced a combined 21 shots over the course of the two matches. He boasts a 1.86 goals against average on the 2021 season along with a .705 save percentage.
This marks the third weekly honor of Sweeney's career and is SJSU's first from the conference office this season. He joins 2001 MLS Superdraft sixth round selection Jorge Martinez as the only two Spartans to receive three conference player of the week awards in San Josè State history.
SJSU is currently enjoying a two-match winning streak and will return to action on Thursday night at Utah Valley. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. (MT) in Orem against the Wolverines.
Other defensive nominees: Air Force's London Aghedo anchored the Falcons defense that allowed just one goal over two matches while also adding a pair of assists in Sunday's 2-1 win at Houston Baptist … Chicago State's Rashawn Wellman played well on the Cougars' back line in losses to Air Force and Grand Canyon … Dixie State's Levi Lord made nine saves for the Trailblazers in a 3-0 loss at San José State … Grand Canyon's Miguel Prado played lockdown defense to help the Lopes stay perfect in WAC play with wins at Houston Baptist and Chicago State … Seattle U's Akili Kasim tied his career high with nine saves against UNLV and earned his 16th and 17th career shutouts to ranked second in SU program history … UT Rio Grande Valley's Oliver Padilla made three saves to help UTRGV earn a 2-1 win over California Baptist … Utah Valley's Erik Lyons added an assist in the Wolverines' 2-1 win at UIW on Sunday.