Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/14/14
Last week’s college honors:
WOMENSLAX.COM PLAYER OF THE WEEK – Bridget Bianco (Moorestown) – Northwestern
Junior goalie backstops the Wildcats to three straight wins over ranked opponents
Northwestern’s Junior Goalie, Bridget Bianco, clinches WomensLax.com Player of the Week honors after an impressive week between the pipes for the Wildcats. On Monday, the ‘Cats welcomed the top-ranked Tar Heels to Lakeside Field for a rematch of last year’s NCAA semifinal, in which UNC snapped the Wildcats’ streak of eight title game appearances en route to the National Title. Bianco led Northwestern’s defense, stopping six of eleven shots in the Wildcats’ 7-5 upset win, and adding two ground balls. Beyond avenging last season’s loss, the victory marked the 300th in Northwestern program history.
The ‘Cats hit the road to take on 10th-ranked Penn State on Friday, and Bianco picked up a pair of ground balls and made eight saves in the low scoring affair, to include a key stop in the final minute, to secure Northwestern’s 5-4 win. On Sunday, NU faced the 12th-ranked Penn Quakers, and Bianco made 8 saves to give Northwestern a 7-2 victory. The two goals allowed were the fewest by NU since a 16-2 victory over Oregon in 2012. After scoring the opening goal of the game, Bianco kept the Quakers off the scoreboard for over 34 minutes, to include four saves in the opening 10 minutes. The Philly-area native made 22 saves and allowed only 11 goals in three games this week. Bianco and the ‘Cats return home to welcome Vanderbilt to Lakeside Field on Thursday at 4:30PM CST, and Johns Hopkins on Sunday, April 13th at 12PM
Sacred Heart’s Delaney (Cherry Hill East)
Sacred Heart University women’s lacrosse player Caitlin Delaney (Cherry Hill East) was named the Northeast Conference Women’s Lacrosse Rookie of the Week for games ending April 6.
Delaney had a balanced week in two games for the Pioneers. She tallied three goals, picked up a team-best eight ground balls, caused four turnovers and recorded three draw controls. The efforts helped the Pioneers to a 1-1 weekend, the first games of the NEC schedule.
In the win over Saint Francis University on Sunday, Delaney scored twice, helping Sacred Heart rally from a 4-0 deficit for a 14-10 victory. She also had two caused turnovers, her second consecutive game with that tally. On Friday at Robert Morris University, Delaney netted a goal and recorded two draw controls.
Delaney has started all 10 games for Sacred Heart this season and was third on the team with 16 points.
Georgetown’s Freedman (Radnor)
Georgetown University women’s lacrosse senior midfielder Kelyn Freedman (Newtown Square, Pa./Radnor) was named the BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Week after a career week. This is the Blue & Gray’s first weekly award of the 2014 season.
Freedman led the offensive effort by the Hoyas in a 12-5 win over Marquette on Saturday which halted a six-game skid. The senior midfielder scored a game-high six goals on 10 shots, including seven on goal, adding a draw control and a pair of ground balls. Freedman broke three ties in the game (1-1, 2-2, 5-5) and scored two of the final four goals of the contest to put the tilt comfortably in the Hoyas’ hands. The senior also tallied a hat trick in an 8-6 setback to Penn earlier in the week, while adding four draw controls and two ground balls.
This is Freedman’s first-career weekly award after earning a pair of nods to the weekly honor role last season.
Lehigh’s Sukonik (Harriton)
Lehigh junior attacker Carli Sukonik has been named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for her role in a big double overtime win at Boston University. Sukonik scored three goals and assisted on the game-tying goal as the Mountain Hawks handed the Terriers their first-ever Patriot League loss.
Sukonik helped spearhead Lehigh’s offense which tied a season high for goals in the 12-11 victory. The Mountain Hawks snapped Boston University’s five-game winning streak, handing the Terriers their first home loss of the season. The Terriers were a perfect 4-0 in the Patriot League, including a win at four-time defending league champion Navy.
Sukonik scored two straight goals during the Mountain Hawks’ 6-0 first-half run, giving Lehigh a 4-3 then 5-3 advantage with 12:04 left in the first half. Her hat trick goal then pulled Lehigh within 10-9 at 5:22 of the second half. Sukonik then set up senior Chelsea Retaleato point-blank in front of the net for the game-tying goal to force overtime.
Saturday was Sukonik’s fifth hat trick and ninth multi-goal game of the season. She leads the team with 29 goals and 32 points for the season. Lehigh has now won each of the four weekly awards at least once this season. Senior Alexandra Fitzpatrick has earned Defensive Player of the Week, sophomore Kendall Garden Midfield Player of the Week and freshmen Krista Dampman and Allison LaBeau have both been named Rookie of the Week.
Fitzpatrick and LaBeau also earned honorable mention recognition on Monday’s weekly honor roll. Fitzpatrick made 11 saves on Saturday, her third straight double-digit save performance, including a stop as time expired in regulation to help force overtime. LaBeau tied a career high with four goals, including both of Lehigh’s overtime goals. She scored early in the first overtime then the game-winner in the sudden victory second overtime period to send Lehigh home winners. LaBeau is second on the team with 28 points behind 22 goals and six assists.
Lafayette’s Wilhelmsen (Strath Haven)
Lafayette women’s lacrosse freshman Kirsten Wilhelmsen (Wallingford, Pa./Strath Haven) was named Patriot League Rookie of the Week. Wilhelmsen scored seven goals for the Leopards in two games last week.
Wilhelmsen tallied a goal, picked up two ground balls and collected a draw control in the Leopards’ 8-6 loss against Villanova in the first game last week. The Wallingford, Pa. native registered a career-high six goals in Lafayette’s Patriot League win over American. She netted the game-winning goal in the 15-13 overtime win over the Eagles.
CAA Players of Week – JMU’s Finley (Sacred Heart), Delaware’s Duffey (Lenape)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Stephanie Finley • James Madison
Media, Pa./Sacred Heart, Jr., Attacker
Finley, who became the third Duke to claim CAA POTW honors this season, had a career game in JMU’s only contest of the week versus William & Mary. The junior was a force to reckon with, tying a career high with five goals, dishing out three helpers and even adding one ground ball and one caused turnover in an 18-11 victory. Finley leads Madison with 28 goals and 41 points this season.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK:
Lizzie Duffey • Delaware
Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape, So., Midfielder
Duffey was named Defender of the Week for her efforts over two wins which saw UD improve to 9-4 on the season. The sophomore New Jersey native won a total of four draw controls, forced five caused turnovers and also collected five ground balls, the latter of which all came in a comeback, 8-7 win at Hofstra. Besides her strong defensive effort last week, Duffey scored one goal as well in a 12-7 win versus Drexel.
Penn’s Ferguson
Lucy Ferguson allowed 13 goals over two games last week as No. 9 Penn split a pair of Top-20 matchups. On Monday, she was named Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Week, marking the third time this season she has earned at least a share of the Ivy League’s weekly defensive honor. She is the first Penn player to ever earn three Defensive Player of the Week honors in one season and the first Ivy player to do so since 2012.
Ferguson made 17 saves in the two games, recording eight stops in an 8-6 win over No. 19 Georgetown on Tuesday before coming up with nine saves in a loss to No. 6 Northwestern on Sunday. Ferguson added three ground balls against the Wildcats, giving her 21 for the season.
Through nine games, Ferguson’s goals-against average stands at 8.20 – good for third in the Ivy League and 20th among Division I goalkeepers. Her save percentage stands at .485, also third in the Ivy League and 18th in the country. Ferguson enters this week as one of 12 goalies in the country to be in the Top-20 in both statistical categories and is one of just 10 who has done so while playing more than 50% of her team’s minutes.
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