LA JOLLA, Calif. — Two Triton men's soccer players were honored by The Big West on Monday as the conference released its weekly awards. Goalkeeper Nic Thiele is the Defensive Player of the Week and midfielder Adam Dunbar is the Freshman of the Week.
 
The awards come after the Tritons were victorious 1-0 over Cal State Fullerton at home on Saturday, the team's only match last week. The win secured the Tritons' spot in The Big West Championship for the first time.
 
Thiele made five saves to lead the Triton defense to a clean sheet. Fullerton's 21 total shots were the most by a Triton Big West opponent this season, but none were able to get past Thiele and the rest of the backline. Thiele posted his second career clean sheet with the result. He is averaging 3.7 saves a match in his seven appearances this season (six starts).
 
Dunbar recorded the primary assist on Brian Arens' game-winning goal in the 87th minute. That assist was also the first of his career. Dunbar has three goals this season in 11 matches (five starts), which is good for the most on the team.
 
Thiele is a redshirt sophomore from Sunnyvale, California, and Bellarmine College Prep. He is majoring in neuroscience at Roosevelt College. Dunbar is a freshman from Los Angeles and LA Galaxy Academy. He is majoring in real estate and development at Sixth College.
 
This is the first time this season that the Tritons have won a weekly Big West award. The team will begin The Big West Championship this Wednesday, Nov. 5, at Cal Poly.
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.