Spiegel Claims National Defensive Player of the Week Award

NAIA Soccer Players of the Week Oct. 30-Nov. 5 | TU Honors Page

KANSAS CITY – Sam Spiegel was named the NAIA Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday afternoon for his shutout at No. 5 Grace Saturday night, Nov. 4, which led to the Trojans' first draw versus a ranked team since Sep. 7, 2019. The national award was based on performances between October 30-November 5.

The Crossroads League Quarterfinals match Saturday between seventh-seeded Taylor (5-11-2, 2-6-1 CL) and second-seeded, No. 5 Grace (13-3-2, 7-1-1) came down to a penalty-kick shootout with the game scoreless after a full 90 minutes of regulation time and two 10-minute overtime periods. Spiegel and the Trojans' defense faced a plethora of shots from the highly rated Lancer attack, but the junior's six saves – all of which came after halftime – forced an unlikely shootout in TU's upset bid.

Spiegel's NAIA weekly award is the first of his career, and the first such honor any Trojan has had across all sports in the 2023-2024 season.