Charlotte’s Ryan Dunn Named Conference Defensive Player of the Week
Following Friday’s (Oct. 18) victory on the road over Tulsa, Charlotte’s Ryan Dunn earned American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors while Leonard Stritter was chosen as an honorable mention by the league office, announced Monday afternoon (Oct. 21).
For the second consecutive week, the 49ers had a player named AAC Defensive Player of the Week. Dunn followed Lasse Laursen, who won the award last Monday.
Dunn earned the weekly honor after earning the game-winning assist in the 1-0 win versus the Golden Hurricane. His first-time cross found Brigham Larsen for an open-net goal in the sixth minute. Playing all 90 minutes as a wing-back, the Huntersville, N.C., native was part of a back line that limited Tulsa to just two shots on-target.
The former Stanford defender and graduate student is the fourth Charlotte player to earn AAC Defensive Player of the Week honors. No other team in the conference has more than two honorees. Ian Pilcher is the only two-time honoree this season, while Daniel Moore and Laursen have also been honored for their defensive efforts by the league.
In his first season for the Boys in Green, Dunn has started 9 of 12 matches. He has two assists for the year.
Leonard Stritter earned the honorable mention after recording a pair of saves in the shutout of Tulsa. It was the Frankfurt, Germany native’s second honorable mention by the league.
The junior keeper leads the nation with eight shutouts in 12 games and his goal against average of .500 places him second nationally. The two saves also improved his save percentage to .800, which is second in the AAC.
The Niners (7-1-4) finish their non-conference slate with a date on the road at Elon on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Charlotte and the Phoenix kickoff at 7 p.m.
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