Release courtesy of Muhlenberg Athletic Communications

A day after earning Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors, Muhlenberg field hockey netminder Brenna Fitzpatrick was named the National Field Hockey Coachess Association (NFHCA) Defensive Player of the Week. 

Fitzpatrick was a wall in net as the Mules split a couple of tough conference road games. In a 2-0 loss at nationally-ranked Franklin & Marshall, the sophomore made 21 saves - a career high, the most by a CC goalie since 2019, and the most by a Mule goalie since 2010 - to help Muhlenberg stay in the game despite deficits of 44-5 in shots and 18-4 in penalty corners.

At Gettysburg, she stopped 12 shots and did not allow a goal until late in the fourth quarter of a 2-1 win in which the Mules were outshot 19-6. That win marked number 500 in the program's history and kept Muhlenberg in the playoff hunt. For the week, Fitzpatrick recorded a .917 save percentage and 1.50 goals-against average.

This is the first conference player of the week award for Fitzpatrick, and the first weekly honor for a Mule goalkeeper since Jordan Segrave in 2019. It is the first time a member of Muhlenberg field hockey has earned national player of the week status since Rachel Strow did so in 2016.

For the season, Fitzpatrick's averaged 9.09 saves per contest, which ranks 23^rd in Division III, while her .806 save percentage ranks 34^th.