Almeida Nets A.I.I. Male Athlete of the Week Accolades | Schools

CLINTON, Iowa--Just days after pulling AU back from the brink of defeat, the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) awarded Ashford University junior forward Lucas Almeida with Male Athlete of the Week honors on Monday.

Almeida, hailing from Sao Paulo, Brazil, scored all three Ashford goals last week as the #22-ranked Saints collected a pair of important victories.  On Tuesday (Oct. 16), the team knocked off #19-ranked Hastings College by a 1-0 margin before Almeida scored two goals in the final seven minutes of Saturday's A.I.I. clash against Jamestown College to pull out a 2-1 win.  With the victories, AU now sits at 10-2-3 overall this season.

In all, Almeida placed seven shots on frame during the week which included a penalty kick goal on Saturday.  He now has nine goals this season, five of which are game winners which ranks him sixth among all NAIA men's soccer players in that category.

This marks the fifth Ashford student-athlete to earn weekly league recognition and is the second male student-athlete to garner recognition after men's golfer Chien Hau-Tan won the award back on Sept. 24.

Almeida and the Saints return to action this Wednesday when the Fighting Bees of St. Ambrose visit South Campus in Clinton.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.