KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With his five saves delivering a 1-0 upset over no. 3 MidAmerica Nazarene, Ottawa University goalkeeper Alex Neri saw his Defennsive Player of the Week honors upgraded on Tuesday, as he was named the PrestoSports NAIA Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week for Week 1.

"Alex has hit the ground running in his short time at Ottawa and his early performances have been great," said head coach James Cottage. "Notably against MNU, Alex was integral to a win against such a highly ranked and very good opponent. He has gelled with the group extremely well and we hope his good form continues. Congratulations to a great young man!"

In the upset, Neri withstood 19 MNU shots, five on frame for saves, including a save in the 89th minute that preserved the win.

He is the first Braves player since Slobodan Novicevic to earn Player of the Week recognition at the national level, with Novicevic receiving the accolades following a four-goal performance to open October 2022.

Neri was joined by Cumberland's David Barbakadze in earning recognition in voting among athletic communications professionals within the association.

About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay