Paloma Peña Earns Second SEC Defensive Player Of The Week Award

After back-to-back shutouts, including a stunning 11 saves against No. 4 Tennessee in a draw, another Florida Gator has earned an SEC honor on the pitch.

Paloma Peña’s efforts in goal made her the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week for a Gators team on the cusp of the postseason.

Peña’s first season as a starter has helped Florida become a difficult team to score against.

In a stretch of seven unbeaten matches, Florida soccer has conceded only five goals, even with four of those matches being against ranked SEC opponents.

Gators coach Samantha Bohon credited Peña with a “special performance” against the Volunteers last Thursday. That performance helped Florida leave Knoxville with a draw, breaking Tennessee’s six-game win streak.

The 11 saves were a career mark for Peña and was near the top of Florida’s all-time record for saves in one match. She fell behind only Jordan Kellgren’s 16 saves against UCLA in 2001 and Alexa Goldberg’s 13 against USF in 2021.

Three days later, Peña once again stepped for her team. Although she made only two saves, she cleared several attempts and dominated her penalty box to leave Ole Miss scoreless.

Even Gators fans could see her impact, cheering “she’s a wall” after a save Peña made in the second half.

On Monday, the conference recognized Peña for the second time this season. She earned the same award for shutting out No. 15 South Carolina on Sept. 21. 

Peña looks to keep the wall up once more in the regular season, with Florida heading to Baton Rouge Sunday. 

Another shutout, whether a win or a draw, would help the Gators clinch a spot in the SEC Tournament. 

Peña hopes to continue her stellar second season in Pensacola with a chance to bring Florida another SEC Championship.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Soccer, SEC, Soccer