PacWest Conference Weekly Awards (Sept. 13)

IRVINE, Calif. – It was a brilliant performance by Academy of Art women's soccer sophomore goalkeeper Nicole Peoples during ART U's match on Friday, as her career-high 13 saves against Cal State Monterey Bay propelled the Knights to a scoreless draw, and has now earned her the honor of Pacific West Conference Defender of the Week. The award is for matches played from Sept. 6-12. 

Coming up big with save after save was Peoples, as she tied the second most saves in a single match in ART U program history, stopping the most shots since Morgan Wirz also made 13 saves against Concordia on Nov. 5, 2016 (most: 19, Rachael Rempe, 10/26/2012). The mark is a single-game high in the PacWest early in the fall 2021 season. Twice in the match she made five saves in a single frame, first doing so in the second half, including a gorgeous jumping save on a shot that came in the literal final seconds of regulation to force overtime. Peoples would be called upon often in the extra time, producing a total of six saves, with five coming in the last 10 minutes of the match during the golden-goal period.

It is the first time receiving the award in Peoples' career, and while it is the first PacWest Defender of the Week award for an Urban Knight in 2021, this marks the third such honor in ART U women's soccer history (second goalkeeper; last: Lara Pflicke, Oct. 14, 2019).