Davis earns 2 MW weekly honors after a pair of clean sheets
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – After recording a pair of clean sheets last week to help the University of New Mexico women’s soccer team clinch a postseason berth, goalkeeper Alli Davis has been selected as the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week announced by the conference office on Monday.
Davis totaled a dozen saves in her 180 scoreless minutes between the posts, helping UNM defeat Boise State 2-0 on Thursday before a 0-0 draw against Utah State on Saturday in a pair of tough road matches. “Alli is a player who has consistently worked on improving her game,” said UNM head coach Heather Dyche. “She was absolutely outstanding this weekend and I feel she is really deserving of this selection.”
Davis’s big week started against the Broncos, as she handled an offense that totaled 13 shots and landed four on frame against her. She followed that with her best statistical performance of the 2022 season, racking up a personal best eight saves in the Lobos’ scoreless draw against Utah State. Davis made multiple diving stops to deny the Aggies throughout the match, and came off her line confidently to deal with crosses into the box to help secure the point.
Having started all 17 matches in goal for the Lobos this fall, Davis ranks third in the conference in both goals-against average at .796 and in save percentage at .831. She has totaled 64 saves which ranks fifth in the league, and has been instrumental in the team’s five shutouts on the season.
Davis’s selection as player of the week – the first of her career – made it two weeks in-a-row that the Lobos have been represented after Leilani Baker claimed the MW Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 17. Davis’s two awards combined with Baker’s gave the team one in each of the three categories this season.
The first-place Lobos (7-3-7, 5-1-4 MW) have their final match of the regular season on Thursday night with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff against San Diego State at home. UNM can clinch its third straight MW title with a victory, and can clinch at least a share of first place with a draw. The Lobos will then prepare for the postseason, which kicks off Sunday with the opening round of the Mountain West Tournament at the UNM Soccer Complex. The full schedule for the tournament, including start times, will be determined upon the conclusion of the regular season Thursday night.