For the second time in 2025, senior goalkeeper Pleasant Valley graduate Samantha Merklin has been named the PSAC East Defensive Athlete of the Week.

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. Against the Raiders, the goalkeeper recorded five stops to help Bloomsburg to its fourth shutout of the season. Merklin’s performance was a key reason for the result against the Golden Rams, as the Effort 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.