SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (Oct. 19) – First-year forward Samantha Abro (Northborough, Mass.) has been named the The Commonwealth Coast Conference Women's Soccer Rookie of the Week for play ending Sunday, October 18. Abro netted her fourth hat trick of the season to lead Nichols to a 3-0 road win over New England College on Saturday.

Abro, a 2009 graduate of  Algonquin Regional High School, made her return to the lineup evident after missing the previous two games, scoring all three goals to bring her season goal total to a conference-leading 19. She also leads the TCCC in points (42), points per game (3.23) and goals per game (1.46), and ranks in the nation's top-10 in goals and points per game.

Nichols (7-8, 4-6) will look to extend its three-game win streak at home on Wednesday in a 3:30 p.m. TCCC game against Eastern Nazarene (3-7, 5-11).