Southwestern University Pirates goalkeeper Mary Cardone was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) Defensive Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season.
Cardone made 18 saves last week, helping to lead the Pirates to a 3-0 record with two shutout victories. Her five saves against Centenary in a 2-1 double overtime win helped Southwestern clinch the second seed in the SCAC Tournament.
For the season, Cardone finished regular season play as the conference leader in save percentage at 0.895, which ranked 12 in Division III. She also finished ninth in the nation in shutout victories with 10, which also leads the conference. Her 85 total saves is second in the SCAC.
Southwestern finished the season with a 15-4 record, including 6-2 in conference, earning the second seed in the conference tournament.
The SCAC Championship Tournament will be hosted by Southwestern University this year, opening on Friday, Nov. 8 with matches between No. 4-seed Dallas and No. 5-seed Texas Lutheran, and No. 3-seed Centenary and an as-yet-to-be-determined No. 6 seed (Austin College and Schreiner will play Tuesday to determine the final spot).
Southwestern will play the winner of the Centenary and No. 6-seed match on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 1:30 p.m. Top-ranked Trinity earned the first bye on the other side of the bracket.