Women's Soccer | 9/22/2025 2:30:00 PM

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - For the second time in 2025, senior goalkeeper Samantha Merklin (Effort, Pa./Pleasant Valley) has been named the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week by the conference office on Monday afternoon.

Merklin continued her strong start to the season, as the No. 22 Bloomsburg women's soccer team went 1-0-1 in a pair of conference matchups last week. The Huskies first earned their second road PSAC win of the season with a 1-0 result over Shippensburg. Bloomsburg returned home on Saturday to earn a 1-1 draw against West Chester.

Merklin's efforts were a staple of the two performances for the Huskies. The senior finished with 17 total saves across the two matches for a .944 save percentage. On Wednesday, the goalkeeper recorded five stops to help Bloomsburg to its fourth shutout of the season. Merklin's performance on Saturday was a key reason for the result against the Golden Rams, as the Effort, Pa. native set a new season high and matched her most saves in a game as a Husky with 12. 

The weekly honor is Merklin's sixth since arriving at Bloomsburg. As a team, No. 22 Bloomsburg is off to its best six-game start in a season since 2010.

The conference action continues this week with another two contests. The Huskies begin the week on the road with a short trip to take on East Stroudsburg on Wednesday, September 24, before a matchup at Steph Pettit Stadium against Shepherd on Saturday, September 27.