SPRINGFIELD, Mo.– Drury goalkeeper Kaitlin Knetzke was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week in women’s soccer for the second time this season.
The fifth-year season from Ozark and Springfield-Catholic went 2-0 last week while posting a 0.50 goals against average, made six saves, and had a .857 save percentage. Knetzke helped the Panthers extend their unbeaten streak to nine games as Drury picked up a 5-1 win on Friday against Upper Iowa. She then recorded her seventh shutout of the year on Sunday in a 2-0 victory over Truman State. Knetzke had three saves in each win.
The award is the fifth time the two-time all-region product has been named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week during her career. Knetzke was named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season on Sept. 18.
Drury midfielder Kourtney Tucker was named the Great Lakes Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Week in women’s soccer for her performance in two matches last week.
The senior from Springfield and Central High School led her team to conference victories against Upper Iowa and Truman State. Tucker helped ignite the Drury offense, finishing the weekend with four points on one goal and two assists. Tucker tallied an assist and three shots in the victory against Upper Iowa on Friday. Tucker followed her performance with an assist and the game-winning goal in the win against Truman State.
The award is the first in Tucker’s career, and she is the first Drury player to be honored with the offensive award since Elsa Gonzalez won it on October 11, 2021. The Panther combo of Tucker and Knetzke, are the first to win offensive and defensive honors in the same week for Drury.
Drury is 8-1-1 and they are the only team in the GLVC without a loss in league play as they own a 5-0-1 league mark. The Panthers put their first place standing on the line this weekend when they travel to Quincy on Friday, then Illinois Springfield on Sunday afternoon.
