COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Virginia field hockey’s Nilou Lempers continues to impress as she was named the NFHCA’s National Defensive Player of the Week the organization announced on Wednesday (Nov. 5).
Lempers was recently named the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and earned All-ACC first team honors. The junior has also been named ACC Defensive Player of the Week three times this season. The Amsterdam, Netherlands native recorded eight shutouts this season, six against ranked teams. She ranks second in the NCAA in save percentage (0.864) while Virginia ranks first as a team in the same category (0.873). The Cavaliers also rank second in goals against average (0.59) and shutouts per game (0.60). This marks Lempers first NFHCA accolades.
After beating Stanford 4-3 in the quarterfinals, Virginia advanced to the ACC Championship semifinal. Lempers and the Cavaliers will be back in action on Thursday, Nov. 6 at Trager Stadium in Louisville, Ky. to take on the winner of Wake Forest vs Syracuse. Semifinal game times TBA.
Adding another honor to the resume ✍️
Congratulations to Nilou Lempers on being named the 𝗡𝗙𝗛𝗖𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸 ⤵️
📰: https://t.co/o1rwY0yj9b#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/UFtsK7c8Dg— Virginia Field Hockey (@UVAFieldHockey) November 5, 2025