Grantham, Santos Make History with First SoCon Weekly Awards Sweep
9/1/2026 3:00:00 PM | Soccer
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — The Citadel's Samantha Grantham and Zoe Santos were named the Southern Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, the league office announced Tuesday. The pair became the first Bulldogs to sweep the conference's weekly offensive and defensive honors in program history.
Grantham earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after totaling seven points during The Citadel's 2-0 week, highlighted by the first hat trick of her career and an assist in the 8-0 victory over South Carolina State. The senior captain now leads both the Bulldogs and the SoCon with five goals and 12 points through five matches.
Santos was selected as the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after helping The Citadel record two clean sheets during the week. She made two saves and combined for the shutout against South Carolina State before playing all 90 minutes and recording six saves in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Winthrop. The six-save performance marked Santos' third match this season with at least six saves. On the year, the senior goalkeeper has recorded 25 saves -- good for second league-wide -- while allowing just three goals through 430:43 in goal, posting a .893 save percentage and a 0.63 goals-against average.
"Deserved recognition for both girls off the back of a really strong start to the season," head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "Both will point to the collective effort of the team in their individual recognition, but their contributions thus far have been outstanding. Consistency is everything for experienced players, and we will continue looking for that high standard from both moving forward."
The Citadel went 2-0 during the week and improved to 3-1-1 on the season. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive matches while recording a clean sheet in each victory.
The Bulldogs return to action Thursday, Sept. 3, when they travel to UNC Asheville. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For the latest information on The Citadel soccer team, visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelWSoccer on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Grantham earned SoCon Offensive Player of the Week after totaling seven points during The Citadel's 2-0 week, highlighted by the first hat trick of her career and an assist in the 8-0 victory over South Carolina State. The senior captain now leads both the Bulldogs and the SoCon with five goals and 12 points through five matches.
Santos was selected as the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week after helping The Citadel record two clean sheets during the week. She made two saves and combined for the shutout against South Carolina State before playing all 90 minutes and recording six saves in Sunday's 1-0 victory over Winthrop. The six-save performance marked Santos' third match this season with at least six saves. On the year, the senior goalkeeper has recorded 25 saves -- good for second league-wide -- while allowing just three goals through 430:43 in goal, posting a .893 save percentage and a 0.63 goals-against average.
"Deserved recognition for both girls off the back of a really strong start to the season," head coach Ciaran Traquair said. "Both will point to the collective effort of the team in their individual recognition, but their contributions thus far have been outstanding. Consistency is everything for experienced players, and we will continue looking for that high standard from both moving forward."
The Citadel went 2-0 during the week and improved to 3-1-1 on the season. The Bulldogs have won three consecutive matches while recording a clean sheet in each victory.
The Bulldogs return to action Thursday, Sept. 3, when they travel to UNC Asheville. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For the latest information on The Citadel soccer team, visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelWSoccer on Facebook, X and Instagram.
-- #𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 --
Players Mentioned
M / F
/ Soccer
GK
/ SoccerMonday, August 31
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
Friday, August 28
