Vikings Goalkeeper Caitlin Plese Wins Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week
Plese made five saves in the win over Oregon on Friday, none bigger than her save on a Duck penalty kick in the 89th minute.
(PORTLAND, Ore. ) — Portland State junior goalkeeper Caitlin Plese has been named the Big Sky Defensive Player of the Week for the second straight week following her performance in the Vikings' 1-0 win over Oregon last weekend, the conference announced Tuesday.
"Caitlin's been performing at a high level, and to get player of the week again is well deserved," PSU head coach Laura Schott said.
Plese made five saves in the win over Oregon on Friday, none bigger than her save on a Duck penalty kick in the 89th minute. The Vikings and Ducks were tied 0-0 at the time, meaning a Duck goal at that point of the match would have likely given the Ducks a late win over the Vikings.
Instead, Plese's save took the match to overtime, where junior forward Tamia Hasan scored the game-winning goal for the Vikings in the 93rd minute.
The win over Oregon gave the Vikings their first victory over the Ducks since 2004, and snapped a seven-match losing streak for the Vikings against the Ducks.
The Vikings also snapped an eight-match losing streak to Pac-12 opponents, as the win over Oregon gave them their first win over a Pac-12 school since 2009.
Additionally, Plese becomes the first Vikings player to win back-to-back Big Sky Player of the Week awards since Cris Lewis was honored in two straight weeks during the 2007 season.
Plese is chasing Lewis for the all-time record in shutouts at Portland State, as Lewis, who now serves as the volunteer goalkeeping coach at PSU, set the school record with 17 shutouts in her career from 2006-09.
Plese earned her 13th career shutout in the win over Oregon, moving her into sole possession of second place behind Lewis.
Plese and the Vikings return to action Sunday, Sept. 21, when they host San Jose State in their final non-conference match of the season.
The Vikings and Spartans will kick off at 11:00 a.m. (PT) Sunday at Hillsboro Stadium.
