ATLANTA – After leading Denver to its first-ever ranked win in the MCLA, Pioneer freshman netminder Matt Malone has earn MCLA Division II PEARL Goalie of the Week honors for the period ending Feb. 25.

The Pioneers entertained No. 18 Utah State on Friday night and things did not start out great. After spotting the Aggies an early lead, the Wellesley, Mass., native shut the door.

Malone finished with 20 saves against just six goals allowed – a 76.9 save percentage – as Denver was able to post the 13-6 triumph.

In two games so far, Malone has allowed just 11 goals while making 30 stops (73.3 sv%).

“We have two fantastic goalies on the roster and Matt was able to win the starting job by consistently showing his resilience, skill and competitive nature from the start of the season to the matchup versus Utah State,” said Denver coach Dave Skaug. “His ability to come up with key saves and make quick decisions to push transition allowed us to come back in that game Friday night.

“One of the biggest things you can't teach, and what Matt has in spades, is the ability to move onto the next play. With Utah State coming out to an early 3-0 lead, it looked like we were in for a long night. Matt kept his composure and played his game, which propelled us to the upset in the end.”

As the recipient of the PEARL Goalie of the Week honor, Malone will receive a PEARL swag bag of goodies that will include PEARL lacrosse balls – the official ball of the MCLA.

PEARL Honor Roll

Connor Erickson, Jr. – Southern Conn. State
Against Westfield State, the Branford, Conn., product made 12 saves (66.7 sv%) in the Owls 7-6 victory – the programs first victory since 2019.

Hunter Heaston, Sr. – Montana
In a split weekend in Minot, the Castle Rock, Colo., netminder combined for 33 saves and 15 goals against (68.8 sv%) for the Grizzlies.

Jucheol Lee, Sr. – San Jose State
The Aztecs picked up a big divisional win over Southern Oregon thanks to 17 saves (68.0 sv%) from the Incheon, Korea, product.

Nicholas Meola, Sr. – Florida Atlantic
In the Owls non-conference win over UNC-Wilmington, the Flemington, N.J., native turned away 14 of the 19 shots (73.7 sv%) that came his way.

Jack Warfield, Fr. – Central Washington
No. 19 Western Washington downed CWU 14-3, but through no fault of the Tacoma rookie, who finished with a whopping 28 saves in the setback.