UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State senior Brie Barraco (Allentown, Pa.) has been named Big Ten Field Hockey's Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Sept. 18, 2022. The honor is the first of the season for Penn State.
Barraco helped carry Penn State to an important 2-1 road win at No. 7 Michigan on Sept. 16, the conference opener for both teams. She had 10 total saves in the game, including seven in a furious third period. Michigan outshot Penn State 23-3 in the contest but Barraco's prowess helped the Nittany Lions claim the Big Ten road victory.
The next day, she picked up her first shutout of the season, collecting three saves in a 3-0 win over Cornell (in a game played in Ann Arbor). Barraco had 13 saves on the week and now has 27 for the season. She has a .730 save percentage and a 1.44 goals against average.
Penn State is now 6-1 on the year, 1-0 in Big Ten action. The Nittany Lions, under the direction of head coach Char Morett-Curtiss, will host Michigan State on Friday at 6 p.m. and Ohio State on Sunday at 12 p.m., with both games played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Nittany Lion field hockey team online at www.GoPSUsports.com (click teams, click field hockey), on twitter @pennstateFH and on facebook at www.facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.