College Sports Madness has named Missouri-Kansas City goalkeeper Nina Tzianos the National Defensive Player of the Week for the Week of Sept. 15-21.
On the strength of eight saves, Tzianos led the 'Roos to a 2-0 victory over Creighton in Omaha, Neb., on Friday. The victory over the Blue Jays was the first in program history for UMKC. Creighton entered the match unbeaten at 7-0-0 and was averaging 3.71 goals per game.
The shutout was the third of the season for Tzianos and extended her school record to 16 for her career. The St. Louis, Mo., native was also recognized by the WAC Defensive Player of the Week.
Tzianos leads the WAC in goals against average (0.76), save percentage (.894), and saves (59).
She is the first women’s soccer player in school history to receive national player of the week recognition.