Fort Lewis College Athletics

Kaitlyn Silva

Mathias Valverde (5) tracking the Red Leafs forward line on Dirks Field (Sept. 18, 2025)

Valverde named RMAC Defensive Player of the Week

9/23/2025 10:00:00 AM

By: Hayden Mangan, Assistant AD-Communications & Fan Engagement

DURANGO, Colo. – True freshman Mathias Valverde has been rewarded for his efforts in helping the No. 9 nationally ranked Fort Lewis men's soccer team to a pair of wins last week and has been tabbed as the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Week Three Defensive Player of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.

The Skyhawks (3-0-2) posted a 2-1 victory over Simon Fraser (0-4-2) last Thursday before dominating Northwest Nazarene (3-1-1), who had picked up votes on last week's United Soccer Coaches national poll, 8-1 in a historic Saturday night victory on Dirks Field.

Valverde played a strong role in earning both results, starting both matches and helping anchor the FLC back line throughout his 165 minutes on the pitch. Against Simon Fraser, Valverde played the full match and helped Fort Lewis limit the Red Leafs to just eight total shots and four shots on goal.

On Saturday night, Valverde helped his squad limit a high-out NNU offense that entered the match averaging 3.25 goals per game on a 53.1 percent shots-on-goal percentage, to just a single goal on 12 total shots and just four shots on goal. In addition, Valverde registered his first goal of the season in the 73^rd minute, placing a glancing header off the turf and into the goal on an arcing corner kick from the far side.

His goal helped the Skyhawks tie program records for the sixth-most goals (8), the third-most assists (9), and the fourth-most total points (25) in a match.

Fort Lewis will close out its non-conference schedule this week with a pair of rematches from the 2024 NCAA national tournament. The Skyhawks will head to Mountain Lion Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo., to face UCCS (1-2-3) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25, before heading over to Pueblo, Colo., on Sunday, Sept. 28, for a 1 p.m. matinee in Art and Lorraine Gonzales Stadium against No. 3-ranked CSU Pueblo (3-0-3).

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