SACRAMENTO -- Sacramento State junior Genaro Alfaro was named the Big West Conference Defensive Player of the Week while redshirt freshman goalkeeper Edgar Guerra earned the league's freshman of the week honors for a second time this season, the conference office announced on Monday afternoon.
Alfaro picked up the first Big West weekly honor of his career and became the first Hornet to win the league's defensive player of the week award since James Del Curto on Oct. 24, 2016. Buoyed by a career-night in a win at Cal State Fullerton, Guerra was voted the league's top freshman of the week for the second time in his career, adding this week's award to the one he claimed back on Sept. 12 of this year.
Sacramento State extended its winning streak to three consecutive matches heading into this week's regular season finale against Causeway rival UC Davis, shutting out both Cal Poly (4-0) and the Titans (1-0) on the road last week to pick up six points in the Big West standings. In the process, the Hornets have now won nine matches overall — the most since 2016 (9-8-3) — and four Big West contests, which are the most since 2017 (4-4-2). A victory on Saturday against the Aggies would give Sacramento State its first 10-win campaign since the Hornets won 11 matches in 2010.
Alfaro helped lead Sacramento State at both ends of the field last week, scoring a goal against the Mustangs and adding the game-winning assist with 14 seconds remaining in regulation to beat the Titans. Defensively, he spearheaded a defense that limited the two opponents to a combined 10 shots on goal (out of 38 total attempts) — including just one on frame and eight overall by Cal Poly in a 4-0 Hornet victory.
He then stood tall on the back line as Cal State Fullerton unleashed a barrage of 30 shots toward the Sacramento State net three days later, but limited the Titans to only nine shots on goal.
Behind Alfaro, Guerra was stellar in net, finishing with 10 saves on the weekend in back-to-back shutouts — the first two clean sheets of his collegiate career. After being forced to make just one stop in the 4-0 win over Cal Poly, Guerra was tested against Cal State Fullerton and passed with flying colors, finishing with a career-high nine saves in the 1-0 shutout.
Holding opponents to just one goal over his last 270 minutes, Guerra's save total was the highest by a Hornet keeper since Ryan Curtis finished with 10 saves in a 2-0 win over San Jose State to kick-off the 2019 season. In improving to 6-1-1 overall on the year, Guerra also picked up the first point of his career against the Mustangs, assisting on Francisco Magana's eventual game-winner in the ninth minute — the first assist by a Sacramento State goalkeeper since Cesar Castillo assisted on Chris Bettencourt's game-winner against Seattle U on Oct. 15, 2010.
Saturday's clash with UC Davis is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Hornet Soccer Field, with the Hornets' senior class honored as part of "Senior Day" festivities prior to kick-off. Sacramento State currently sits in a four-way tie for fourth in the Big West standings entering the week, needing a win or a draw to guarantee a spot in the Big West Tournament, which begins on Nov. 2. A loss means the Hornets would need some help from other teams ahead of them in the standings to claim a postseason berth.
