UCSB’s Nick DePuy
UC Santa Barbara junior forward Nick DePuy was named the Big West Offensive Player of the Week on Monday afternoon, becoming the first player in league history to ever win three consecutive Big West weekly awards.
In addition, DePuy was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week for the second consecutive Monday.
The awards came on the back of another superlative week for DePuy, as he extended his impressive goal-scoring streak in UCSB wins over UC Riverside and Cal State Fullerton.
DePuy scored the game-winning goal in both of those contests, giving him 12 goals on the season overall (second in the NCAA). He has now scored the deciding goal in four straight UCSB games, and his seven game-winning goals this season pace the entire NCAA. With 21 goals in 26 games since converting to forward on Sept. 26, 2014, he has outscored every Division I player in that timeframe.
Seemingly unable to end his scoring streak, DePuy finds himself in striking distance of a pair of program records. He is just eight goals behind Rob Friend’s UCSB-record 20 (2002) and three game-winners behind Drew McAthy’s 10 in 2004.
In the 70th minute of a scoreless contest against UCR on Thursday night, DePuy pounced on a soft back pass and then outraced his defender to the penalty area before shooting across his body and off the keeper’s gloves for the goal.
He then scored a trademark DePuy goal in double overtime against the Titans on Saturday, getting into good position and heading home a Geoffrey Acheampong cross inside the near post.
His five career Big West Offensive Player of the Week awards rank third all-time in conference history.
In the midst of a season-best five-game winning streak, Nick and the rest of the Gauchos will look to keep it rolling this week, as they travel to Sacramento State on Wednesday night before taking on Blue-Green rival Cal Poly on Saturday evening in San Luis Obispo.
