Oct. 16, 2012

BERKELEY - Junior goalkeeper Emily Kruger led her No. 14 California women's soccer team to a 2-0 win over ASU on Friday, earning her the rights to the Oct. 16 edition of the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week.

"We are thrilled for Emily as she has worked very hard to grow as a goalkeeper and team leader," Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. "This award signifies that her work is bearing fruit, but is also a testament to her teammates in front of her working hard to thwart any attacks on goal."

In 90 minutes of play between the posts, Kruger saved each of the Sun Devils' six shots on goal. Thanks to her shutout, the Bears up their winning streak to six straight games and five Pac-12 games. She currently ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in goals-allowed average at 0.88.

"The shutout was a collective effort," Kruger said. "I only faced six shots on goal because my backline was unbelievably dedicated to winning every tackle. I also think getting that second goal really took away any momentum that ASU had in those last 15 minutes. It was awesome to see that we can really shut teams down until the final whistle, which we hadn't done in previous weekends."

For Kruger, this marks her first Pac-12 Player of the Week accolade. She is California's 25th Player of the Week recipient.