Sept. 18, 2012

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Stanford goalkeeper Aly Gleason was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week for her play in a pair of victories last weekend at the Santa Clara Classic.

Gleason, a redshirt junior from Atwater, Calif., played a part in two shutouts, a 1-0 victory over No. 15 and previously unbeaten San Diego State, and a 4-0 victory over UNC Greensboro.

Gleason saved the San Diego State match on Friday by diving to her left to make a spectacular save of a hard shot from the penalty area in the second half. It was one of several fine saves for Gleason, who is getting her first extended playing time of her collegiate career. She made five saves altogether, including another difficult diving stop against SDSU.

Gleason also had a perfect slate in her 63 minutes of Sunday's 4-0 victory over UNC Greensboro, though Stanford did not face a shot for the first time in school history.

Gleason, a two-sport standout at Stanford who also plays rugby, was named to the all-tournament team.

Stanford has now registered four consecutive shutouts and Gleason has a goals-against average of 0.59.