UHV's Sturgeon named RRAC Defensive Player of the Week

UHV's Matt Sturgeon (8) high-fives teammate Osiel Robledo (10) after scoring a goal against Texas A&M-Texarkana on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (Lily Standridge/UHV Athletics)

October 14, 2024

WACO – What UHV senior center back Matt Sturgeon does doesn't always show up in a box score.

The 6-foot-1 defender from Hastings, England, has helped sure up the Jaguars' defense and it showed with a pair of wins in two starts last week. Sturgeon played the full 90 minutes in both games as UHV (6-2-2, 4-2-1; 13 pts.) rolled to a 4-2 win over the University of the Southwest, on Thursday, and a 7-1 win over Paul Quinn College, on Saturday.

For that, Sturgeon was named the Red River Athletic Conference Player of the Week for the week of Oct. 7-13. He's the third UHV player to receive a weekly award, joining Tyler Kaeppeli (defensive) and Dario Elsen (offensive).

"I'm incredibly honored to receive this award," Sturgeon said. "This recognition reflects the hard work and dedication the entire team has put in, not just my individual efforts. I'm proud of how we came together as a unit this week to stay focused and determined. This award is as much for the team as it is for me and I'm excited to keep building on these performances as we move forward."

Sturgeon has been a workhorse in the back this season for the Jaguars, starting in all 10 matches and serving as one of the team's captains.

This year, his work in the back has helped the Jaguars boast the second-best defense in the RRAC in Goals Allowed (11) and Goals Allowed Average (1.10).

While he's known for his work protecting UHV's defensive end, he's also got a goal to his credit this season.

"Matt has been solid in the back for us throughout the season, but especially this past week," said head coach Adrian Rigby. "He's done extremely well with his 1-v-1 defending and has excellent distribution out of the back to initiate our attack. He's displayed excellent leadership and organizes the back well. Matt has been a key contributor to our success and does all the right things that are often overlooked when people just look at stats."

The Jaguars go on the road to face second-place LSU Alexandria (7-3-2, 5-0-2; 17 pts.), on Thursday, and No. 25-ranked Louisiana Christian (8-2-2, 5-1-1; 16 pts.) – which sits third in the conference standings – on Saturday.