DAVIS, Calif. — UC Davis senior managerial economics major
Roy Boateng has been named the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career after helping lead the No. 17 Aggies to win on the road at Gonzaga last weekend.
Boateng, who leads UC Davis into tonight's match at Oregon State at 7 p.m., becomes the second Aggie player to win weekly honors from the league office, joining teammate
Wallis Lapsley, who earned the honor back on Aug. 27. The Accra, Ghana, native earned the first award of his career on Aug. 29, 2016, and again on Oct. 16, 2017.
The reigning Big West Defensive Player of the Year becomes the fifth consecutive UC Davis defensive player to win weekly honors from the Big West dating back to last season. In fact, 10 of the last 13 Aggie weekly award winners have been on the defensive side of the ball dating back to 2014.
Anchoring a stingy back line that has allowed only three goals all season, Boateng and the Aggies limited host Gonzaga to just four shots on goal — and just nine shots overall — in a 3-0 UC Davis victory on Sept. 7 in Spokane, Wash.
Entering Monday's match against the Beavers as one of the 23 remaining unbeaten teams in the nation, the Aggies have held each of their last two opponents to single-digit shot totals after allowing just three attempts at CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 2, and posted their third shutout of the year.
Nationally as of Sept. 10, UC Davis ranks No. 17 in the nation in goals against average (0.57), No. 19 in shutout percentage (0.60), No. 22 in save percentage (.850), while Lapsley stands No. 8 in the nation in shutouts (three), No. 12 in save percentage (.895), and No. 13 in goals against average (0.39).
Following their match against Oregon State, the Aggies host a match for only the second time this season — and the first since Aug. 31 — on Saturday (Sept. 15), when they welcome Santa Clara to Aggie Soccer Field for a 5 p.m. kick off.
UC DAVIS BIG WEST PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
9/17/07 - Sule Anibaba*
11/12/07 - Juan Hernandez
11/19/07 - Paul Marcoux
9/1/08 - Quincy Amarikwa
9/22/08 - Dylan Curtis*
10/6/08 - Paul Marcoux
10/13/08 - Quincy Amarikwa
10/27/08 - Dylan Curtis
9/28/09 - Chris Beville
10/18/10 - Omar Zeenni (D)
10/17/11 - Matt Sheldon (O); Omar Zeenni (D)
10/24/11 - Kevin Schulte (O); Omar Zeenni (D)
9/3/12 - Omar Zeenni (D)
10/8/12 - Alex Henry (O)
10/15/12 - Alex Henry (O)
10/29/12 - Matt Sheldon (O)
9/30/13 - Omar Zeenni (D)
9/1/14 - Kris Schultz (D)
9/29/14 - Ramon Martin Del Campo (D)
10/20/14 - Lucas Mohageg (O); Brian Ford (D)
8/29/16 -
Roy Boateng (D)
10/31/16 -
Noah Wilson (O)
9/11/17 -
Lizandro Torres (O)
10/2/17 -
Nabi Kibunguchy (D)
10/16/17 -
Roy Boateng (D)
10/30/17 -
Onah Power (D)
8/27/18 - Wallis Lapsley (D)
9/10/18 - Roy Boateng (D)
* denotes co-player of the week
ED NOTE: The Big West began awarding an offensive (O) and defensive (D) player of the week beginning with the 2010 season
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 10 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
