Pitt goalkeeper Amaia Peña named ACC Defensive Player of the Week

Pitt goalkeeper Amaia Peña put on one of the best performances of her collegiate career in her team’s 2-1 win over NC State on Saturday night, and on Tuesday, she was honored as the ACC Defensive Player of the Week.

In the win over NC State, Peña faced a near-constant barrage of shots and came up with a career-high 11 saves. In total, the Wolf Pack reeled off 25 shots and put 12 on goal. However, the redshirt junior out of Portugalete, Spain, managed to stop all but one of the on-target attempts, including nine out of nine in the second half of the game, preserving a key conference victory for Pitt.

Peña has shown improvement this season by coming up with 41 saves in 12 games and lowering her goals-against average to a career-low 1.55 goals per game. In addition, her 11 saves against NC State are tied for the most by an ACC goalkeeper in a single game this year.

Tuesday marks the first time a Pitt player has won the honor. However, Panthers have won the ACC Offensive Player of the Week honor on two occasions before, with Pitt freshman Amanda West being the most recent recipient on Aug. 27.