Oct. 19, 2009
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - San Diego State junior goalkeeper Aubree Southwick has been named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week, while freshman forward Niki Fernandes was named the Co-Offensive Player of the Week, the league announced Monday morning.
Southwick posted two shutouts on the road last week at Wyoming and Air Force as the Aztecs extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games. Against a Cowgirl team that had won five straight and averaged nearly two goals per game during that stretch, the junior made four saves in SDSU's 2-0 victory. Two days later at Air Force, Southwick stopped all three shots on goal in San Diego State's 1-0 triumph. Her two-game shutout streak is a season best and keeps the Aztecs in the hunt for the MWC regular season title. Southwick, who came into the week with a goals-against average (GAA) of 1.11, lowered her GAA to 0.99 after her last two outings and has not allowed a goal since the 86:39 mark against Utah back on Oct. 10, a streak that spans 193 minutes, 21 seconds.
Fernandes, meanwhile, played an integral role in helping the Aztecs return to San Diego with a pair of victories. At Wyoming, Fernandes provided the game-winning goal in the 55th minute and then assisted on the Aztecs' second goal of the match to put the game out of reach in the 89th minute. Then at the Air Force Academy, Fernandes continually put pressure on the Falcons and finished with a team-best three shots with one coming on goal. For the week, the freshman recorded three points, to increase her season total to 10, and five shots with three coming on goal. Fernandes shares offensive honors with BYU's Carlee Payne.
San Diego State, which is 6-0-4 in its last 10 outings, returns to the pitch on Friday as it plays host to New Mexico at SDSU Sports Deck. The Senior Day game is slated for a 4 p.m. PT start.