BOSTON, Mass. (September 8, 2026) – Emerson College senior back Daniel Bede has been named the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Defensive Player of the Week for men's soccer, presented by SKYBOKX 109 Bar & Grill located in Framingham, Massachusetts, by the Conference office today.

Bede led an Emerson defensive effort that did not surrender a goal in the run of play over three road contests to open its season with three-straight wins for the first time since 2007. The defense posted a 0.67 goals against average, conceding just two penalty kick goals over the 3-0 week, with a pair of shutouts. The backline limited the opposition to just 6.3 shots per match, including 2.7 per game on goal, and successfully defended four corners per match. Bede played all 270 minutes in defense for the Lions over the three matches and netted the insurance goal in Tuesday's season-opening 2-0 win at Wentworth.

Emerson is ranked second among NEWMAC leaders with its 0.67 goals against average, sharing the Conference lead with two shutouts. Bede has started all 41 matches played over his three seasons at Emerson after transferring from Ithaca College where he appeared in one match. He has netted two career goals and earned a spot on the All-NEWMAC first team last fall.

Emerson (3-0-0, 0-0-0 NEWMAC) is back in action this afternoon when it visits Connecticut College for a non-conference matchup in New London, Connecticut, at 4:30 p.m. The Lions home opener is scheduled for Saturday against Widener University at Rotch Field at 1 p.m.

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