KANSAS CITY, Mo. — University of Tennessee Southern freshman goalkeeper Sam De Gier has been named the PrestoSports NAIA Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Firehawks through a crucial week against two of the top teams in the Southern States Athletic Conference.
The national honor comes after De Gier anchored the UT Southern defense in victories over No. 10 William Carey and Xavier, helping the Firehawks remain perfect in conference play and strengthen their hold on first place in the SSAC standings.
The Breukelen, Netherlands native delivered one of the best performances of her young career in a 3-1 victory over William Carey. Facing the conference's highest-scoring offense, De Gier recorded nine saves and repeatedly came up with crucial stops to keep the Firehawks in control. In addition to her work between the posts, she also recorded an assist on Luella Cramer's second goal of the match, becoming a difference-maker on both ends of the field.
The victory over the Crusaders was historic for UT Southern. The Firehawks handed William Carey its first regular-season SSAC loss since Oct. 28, 2017, while also taking sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
De Gier followed that performance with another outstanding effort in a 1-0 victory over Xavier. She recorded a save and helped organize a defensive unit that limited the Gold Nuggets to just one shot on goal, securing the team's third consecutive shutout and extending the Firehawks' unbeaten streak.
Across the two victories, De Gier totaled 10 saves while allowing only one goal against two teams that entered the week among the top contenders in the conference. Her performances helped UT Southern improve to 13-1-1 overall and 11-0 in SSAC play.
The national recognition adds to an impressive freshman season for De Gier, who has already earned three SSAC Defensive Player of the Week honors and continues to establish herself as one of the NAIA's top goalkeepers.
With two regular-season matches remaining, De Gier and the Firehawks sit atop the conference standings and control their path toward the SSAC regular-season championship and one of the league's automatic bids to the NAIA National Championship.
Up Next
UT Southern closes the regular season with a pair of road matches this week. The Firehawks travel to Dalton State on Thursday before concluding the regular season Saturday against No. 23 Life University in Marietta, Georgia.
FOLLOW THE FIREHAWKS
Tap in with everything happening around UT Southern Athletics and keep up with the Firehawks all season long.
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/utsathletics
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/utsouthernathletics
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UTSouthernFirehawks
Scores, highlights, announcements, behind-the-scenes content, and more — stay connected and rep the Firehawks everywhere you go. Go Firehawks!
