HADLEY, Mass. -- Bates field hockey sophomore goalkeeper Ava Donohue is the NESCAC Player of the Week, as announced Monday by the New England Small College Athletic Conference.

Donohue (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.) is the first goalkeeper in the history of the Bates field hockey program to earn NESCAC Player of the Week honors. She joins senior captain forward Brooke Moloney-Kolenberg (Winchester, Mass.) as the second Bobcat to earn the award this year. 

The week started with Donohue making seven saves in a win Tuesday over Colby. Then in the NESCAC quarterfinal Saturday against Hamilton, she turned in her best performance of the season. First, Donohue made a pair of saves on her way to her third shutout of the year. Then, she was dominant in the shootout, allowing just one goal on five Hamilton attempts as Bates prevailed 2-1 to advance to the NESCAC semifinals for the third straight season.

Donohue sports a save percentage of .763 and is allowing just 1.16 goals per game this year.

Bates (13-3) is the third seed in the NESCAC tournament and takes on second-seeded Middlebury (12-4) this Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on the campus of Tufts University. The Bobcats fell to the seven-time defending NCAA Division III champion Panthers 2-1 on the road during the regular season, but defeated Middlebury 2-1 in last year's NESCAC semifinals. 

The winner will take on the winner of Tufts-Wesleyan this Sunday at noon in the NESCAC championship game.