Kirby earns second Big South Player of the Week award

Published 8:30 am Thursday, October 20, 2016

Back-to-back shutouts and 200 consecutive scoreless minutes earned Longwood University junior goalkeeper Maria Kirby her second Big South Women’s Soccer Defensive Player of the Week award, the conference announced Monday.

A 5-foot 8-inch native of Woolwich Township, N.J., Kirby blanked both UNC Asheville and High Point last week to lead the Lancers to a win, a draw and four points in the Big South standings. The two-year starter amassed eight saves during the two-game set, racking up seven across a double-overtime scoreless draw at Big South powerhouse High Point Wednesday and one more in a 2-0 win over UNC Asheville Saturday.

The back-to-back clean sheets give Kirby five shutouts on the year — tied for the Big South lead — and bumped her into the conference’s top three with 1.01 goals against average, 76 saves and a .835 save percentage. She has allowed just one goal over her past four games, during which the Lancers have gone 2-1-1 to climb into sixth place in the Big South standings.

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Behind Kirby’s prowess, Longwood was just two points out of a top-4 spot in the Big South standings going into Wednesday’s road game against Campbell. Before the Big South Championship, the Lancers host Charleston Southern on Saturday and Presbyterian on Tuesday.