NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After helping the No. 6 Yale women's lacrosse team to an 11-6 win at then-No. 5 Michigan this past Saturday, sophomore goalkeeper Niamh Pfaff (Garden City, N.Y.) has been named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. The league announced the award Monday afternoon.   
 
Pfaff tied her career high with 10 saves in Saturday's win in Ann Arbor. That included denying all six free position shots by the Wolverines. She helped the Bulldogs become the first team to hold Michigan to fewer than seven goals since then-No. 3 Northwestern in a 15-6 Wildcats win Apr. 17, 2025.
 
Pfaff is the backbone of a Yale defense that ranks No. 2 in the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.00 goals per game. She is third in the nation in goals-against average (6.00) and sixth in the nation in save percentage (.547). 
 
Pfaff was an honorable mention All-America selection at Garden City High School, where she helped the team to the Class B Long Island Championship in 2023.
 
Yale (4-0, 0-0 Ivy League) hosts Central Connecticut State on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
 
Yale Women's Lacrosse Ivy League Players of the Week 2026
Feb. 23 Kate Gould, Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week
Mar. 2 Niamh Pfaff, Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week