NORFOLK, Va. –The BIG EAST Conference announced on Monday afternoon its weekly awards, and Old Dominion freshman back Nicole Fredricks was named Freshman of the Week for the second-consecutive week. Senior Rebecca Birch also earned recognition from the conference, as she was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Fredricks has quickly become a staple on the Monarchs defense and this past week she was on the field for all 140 possible minutes in ODU’s two matches, including an 80-minute, 4-3 shootout victory over Providence this past Friday.
The freshman aided an ODU squad that went 1-1 on the week, winning its first BIG EAST Conference game of the season against the Friars. In that game, Fredricks was part of a defensive unit that bore down after a full 60 minutes of regulation and held Providence to just one shot in the two overtime periods. This forced a shootout that the Monarchs would eventually win, 3-2, to propel them to their victory.
Fredricks earned the same honor last week, after playing all 180 possible minutes in the Monarchs’ three victories. That week, she was never subbed out of a game and helped lead a defensive unit that allowed just 13 shots on goal and two goals scored.
Birch also had a big game against the Friars on Friday, scoring two goals and totaling four points to lead the ODU offense. Last week Birch was named the conference Defensive Player of the Week.
The Monarchs will wrap up their stretch of five-consecutive road matches on Friday, September 27 at 3:00 p.m. ET, when they face reigning BIG EAST Champion No. 4 UConn.