Queens University’s Caleb Woodard Defensive Player Of The Week
Queens University of Charlotte men’s soccer defender Caleb Woodard was named the Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Week, as officially announced by the league on Monday afternoon. The award is Woodard’s first career weekly award, and the second honor for the men’s soccer program this season.
“Caleb has been exceptional for our team defensively, while also making a major contribution to our attacking style from his position,” said head coach Oliver Carias. “He’s worked hard all season, and we’re proud that he was prepared to make an impact when his opportunity came.”
A native of Wilmington, North Carolina, Woodard made his first two career starts last week for the Royals and made an immediate impact. The defender led the Royals to a 1-0-1 record, including a 0-0 draw against the reigning league champions from Lipscomb on Sunday afternoon.
In the Tuesday tilt at Radford, the 6-5 senior netted his first career goal as a Royal. In the 34th minute, the Royals capitalized on a crucial corner kick opportunity when Leontios Zacharia sent a beautiful ball into the box and found the head of Caleb Woodard at the front post. The early goal helped the Royals take down the Highlanders 2-1.
A few days later, Woodard’s defensive play helped Queens keep the high-octane Lipscomb offense off the board. In another 90-minute effort, Woodard and the Royals backline limited the Bisons offense to just four shots on goal to pick up their first clean sheet of the season, and 10th in Division 1.
Woodard joined Ciro Bourlot Jaeggi as a recipient of the ASUN weekly honors this season. Since joining the league in 2022, Queens has earned 12 weekly honors.
The Royals are gearing up for their fourth all-time meeting with the University of South Carolina on Tuesday, September 24th. The Royals and Gamecocks will kick-off at 7:00 p.m. in Columbia and the match will be broadcast on ESPN Plus. South Carolina controls a 3-0 series lead and has outscored the Royals 12-2 during that span.
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