ST. LOUIS – University of Evansville junior Brielle LaBerge (Cumming, Ga./Forsyth Central) has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week after helping the Aces to a road result at Purdue in last Thursday's season opener, the league office announced on Tuesday.
 
LaBerge was an essential member of an Evansville defense that limited Purdue's potent offense to one goal in a 1-1 draw. LaBerge played all 90 minutes in the contest. The result was Evansville's second against Purdue in the last two seasons and their first-ever in West Lafayette. It was Evansville's third result against a Power Conference opponent since 2009.
 
LaBerge enjoyed a breakout campaign as a sophomore in 2025 to land on the All-MVC Third Team, starting all 16 matches while playing 1,422 of a possible 1,440 minutes. While serving as an anchor of the Evansville defense, LaBerge was also one of the top offensive threats in the conference, finishing the regular season second in the MVC with five assists and first in assists per game at 0.31. LaBerge also added a goal to finish the year with eight points, while placing eight shots on target.
 
The Aces return to action on Thursday for their home opener, hosting SEMO at Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.