SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State senior defender Cassandra Herrman was named the Big Sky Conference Co-Defensive Player of the week on Tuesday after helping the Hornets to an unbeaten week against CSUN and Cal State Bakersfield.

Herrman picked up her first career award from the Big Sky and becomes the second Sacramento State women's soccer student-athlete to be recognized by the league office this season, joining teammate Izzy Palmatier, who earned weekly defensive honors back on Sept. 3. Dating back to last season each of Sacramento State's last four player of the week award winners have been at the defensive end.

The Cameron Park, Calif., native helped spearhead a defense that faced a combined 32 shots in the two matches — 18 of those on frame — while successfully turning away eight corner attempts for the week.

She helped guide the Hornets to their second shutout of the year in a 1-0 win over the Matadors, limiting the visiting side to just seven shots on goal, before coming up clutch at the other end of the field in a dramatic 1-1 draw against the Roadrunners, snatching a victory away from her former team in the process.

With time winding down and Sacramento State chasing a goal, Herrman's long pass from the top of her own 18-yard box took a fortuitous bounce onto the feet of teammate Abigail Lopez, who streaked down the left side and fired back across to the right with 39 seconds remaining in regulation to forge the draw.

Herrman, who tallied her first assist in the green and gold in the process, began her career at Cal State Bakersfield as a freshman in 2019, appearing in 17 matches.

The Hornets close out non-conference play with a single-match this week on the road, traveling to Cedar City, Utah, to take on Southern Utah on Thursday (Sept. 19) at Noon PT.