Sept. 28, 2009

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina junior goalkeeper Mollie Patton was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week Monday after her performance last weekend that saw her set a new South Carolina single-season shutout record.

The conference honor is the first for Patton, a redshirt junior who holds the NCAA lead with eight shutouts on the season. With her shutout in a 1-0 win against Kentucky Sunday, Patton set the single-season record and also tied the career mark of 15 shutouts in just her 32nd game. The Ohio native now holds a 0.10 goals against average in 2009 and is one of only two keepers in the nation with a 10-0-0 record this season. She also holds or is tied for the SEC lead in goals against average and shutouts for all games overall as well as SEC-only games.

“It’s exciting for Mollie to be recognized for her tremendous play,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “She’s a big part of our defensive effort as a team. It’s nice for her to break records already and have several more games this season to see how far she can go.”

South Carolina (10-0-0, 2-0-0 SEC), ranked No. 7 this week by Soccer America, returns to action this weekend when the team travels to the Magnolia State to take on Ole Miss and Mississippi State. The game against the Rebels (7-2-0, 1-0-0 SEC) kicks off at 8 p.m. EST Friday night.