MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Sam De Gier of UT Southern has been named the Southern States Athletic Conference Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.
The honor marks the fourth weekly award of De Gier's career and her fourth SSAC Defensive Player of the Week selection during an outstanding freshman season.
The goalkeeper from Breukelen, The Netherlands, once again proved to be the backbone of the Firehawk defense during postseason play. De Gier delivered a five-save shutout in UT Southern's 1-0 victory over Thomas University in the SSAC Quarterfinals, helping the Firehawks advance to the conference semifinals. Her performance preserved UT Southern's eighth shutout of conference play and continued a season-long trend of making timely saves in critical moments.
Throughout the match, De Gier made several key stops to keep the Nighthawks off the scoreboard, allowing the Firehawks' lone goal to stand as the difference. The freshman's composure and consistency between the posts have been instrumental in UT Southern's success all season and have helped the Firehawks remain among the top teams in both the SSAC and the NAIA.
The latest accolade adds to an already decorated campaign for De Gier, who previously earned SSAC Defensive Player of the Week honors three times and was also recognized as the NAIA Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season. She has anchored one of the conference's top defensive units while helping lead UT Southern to a 13-3-1 record and a deep postseason run.
De Gier becomes one of the most decorated freshmen in the conference this season and continues to build an impressive résumé entering the final stretch of the year.
Up Next
The Firehawks continue postseason play Thursday in Montgomery, Alabama, where they will face Life University in the SSAC Semifinals. Life claimed a 2-0 victory in the regular-season finale. A berth in the SSAC Championship Match will be on the line.
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