BERKELEY - After helping the California field hockey team pick up two wins on the east coast this past weekend, including a combined 10 saves and a shutout, Cato Knipping was named the America East Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday as announced by the conference. 

This is Knipping's second career weekly honor and the Golden Bears' first weekly honor of the 2021 fall campaign. Knipping earned the weekly award the first time for the final week of the 2021 spring season. 

"Given that it was the first weekend of conference play, and that we had the classic conditions of close games and even an overtime, I think Cato really showed a lot of maturity and great decision making," said the Donna Fong Director of Field Hockey Shellie Onstead. "I think it's well deserved."

A native of The Netherlands, Knipping earned her sixth career shutout - third this season - in Cal's 1-0 overtime win at UMass-Lowell last Sunday. Against the River Hawks, she made four saves on nine shots faced, earning her fifth win of the season. In another one-goal game two days earlier, Knipping made six stops in the Bears' 3-2 win at New Hampshire in the AE Conference opener. 

Cal (6-3, 2-0) is off this week before returning to the east coast next weekend. The Bears will be in action next on Friday, Oct. 8, at Maine at noon PT.