UP Gazette

Owen Rutledge, a member of the Northern Michigan University men's soccer team, has been named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week. The announcement follows his performances during a weekend road trip in which NMU played against two strong regional opponents.

The Wildcats competed against Lewis University, last season's GLVC Regular Season and Tournament Champion, and Lake Erie College, a recent NCAA Final Four participant. Rutledge and the NMU defense held Lewis to a scoreless draw. This marked the first time in nine games that Lewis had failed to score, with their previous shutout loss occurring against Maryville last season. In their match against Lake Erie, NMU limited their opponent to just two shots over the first 84 minutes and four total shots in the game. This was Lake Erie's lowest single-game shot total in 11 matches dating back to last season. The contest ended in a 1-1 tie.

Rutledge has started every match for NMU this season and has played all but seven minutes so far. He played the full 90 minutes in both games over the weekend.

"Very proud of Owen and the rest of the defense on their performance this weekend, allowing only one goal in two games on the road against the No. 6 (Lewis) and No. 8 (Lake Erie) teams in the region," said head coach Alex Fatovic. "Owen has made an instant impact since joining this fall and has only gotten better each game. Defensive Player of the Week to me is a team award; however, Owen stood even taller in both games. Great job, O!"

Rutledge transferred to NMU from Northeast Community College where he appeared in 34 games over two seasons, starting five times and recording three goals along with eight assists as a defender.

NMU will begin its GLIAC conference schedule by hosting Parkside Rangers at home on Friday, September 19 at noon.