Freshman forward David Opoku and senior goalkeeper Sam Hayden each garnered Big West Conference Player of the Week honors for the second consecutive week after leading UCSB to a 2-0 victory over UCLA last Friday in front of an NCAA on-campus record crowd of 15,896.
Opoku was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week once again after scoring the game-winning goal against the Bruins in the 75th minute. The Accra, Ghana native had been subbed back into the game just seconds before the corner kick, which led to his goal. The score was the third in as many matches for the freshman.
Hayden was named Big West Co-Defensive Player of the Week, sharing this week’s honor with UC Irvine goalkeeper Andrew Fontein. Hayden delivered an impressive performance in goal on Friday. The Jackson, Wyo. native matched his career-high with six saves on the way to his third consecutive shutout. Hayden now ranks seventh in the Big West record books for career shutouts with 19 in just 31 career matches with the Gauchos.
