Sarah Cooper earned the first award of her college career after being named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.

Cooper was a part of strong defensive efforts by Syracuse in its two wins versus ranked opponents last week. Against No. 11 Loyola, Cooper led all defenders with three ground balls and forced one of SU’s nine caused turnovers. Versus No. 5 Virginia on Saturday, Cooper’s three caused turnovers tied for the team-best.

The freshman leads Syracuse in both ground balls and caused turnovers this season with 15 each. She’s the lone underclassman starter on SU’s improved defense, but has had success acting as the backline’s “rover,” head coach Gary Gait said.

The honor marks the second-straight week that an Orange player has earned a weekly award, as Emily Hawryschuk was named ACC offensive player of the week last week.

Cooper and the Syracuse defense will face a ranked opponent for the fourth-straight game on March 9, when it travels to No. 2 Maryland for its first road game of the season. The Terrapins are 10th in the nation in scoring offense this season, averaging 16.2 goals per game.