Bredenberg Named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week

Lincoln ? Nebraska goalkeeper Brooke Bredenberg was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week by the conference office after remaining perfect on the weekend in the Husker goal.

?It was a good start to the year,' Bredenberg said. ?I hope I can play even better this weekend against Duke and North Carolina.'

The junior made going from the midfield to the goal look like an easy transition when she recorded two shutouts in her first official starts as the NU goalkeeper. Bredenberg had never played in goal until the spring of 2003.

The Dayton, Minn., native made 11 saves over the weekend in wins over DePaul and Iowa and recorded a perfect 0.00 goals-against average through 160:06.

?The whole team really played well,' Bredenberg said. ?The harder they play, the harder I work. It was definitely good to get two wins to start the season.'

Kansas' Caroline Smith was named the Offensive Player of the Week after recording 11 points in KU's wins over Northwestern and Evansville. She recorded a hat trick against Northwestern, the first of her career and the fourth in school history.

Texas' Nikki Thaden was named the Newcomer of the Week after tallying four points on one goal and two assists over the weekend against East Carolina and Duke.

Nebraska travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., this weekend to face Duke and North Carolina in a tournament hosted by the Tar Heels.