Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/22/18
After nearly leading the Lehigh women’s lacrosse team to a victory over No. 12 Penn State, a pair of Lehigh women’s lacrosse players have been recognized with Patriot League weekly awards. Junior Courtney Henig (Notre Dame-NJ) was named Attacker of the Week while freshman Samantha Sagi garnered Rookie of the Week, as announced on Monday. The two helped anchor the Mountain Hawks at the offensive and defensive ends of the field in the slim 14-13 defeat which came down to the wire.
Henig tied a career high seven points on the afternoon (three goals, four assists), becoming the first player to post seven or more points vs. PSU in the regular season since Miranda Stinson of Colorado had nine (five goals, four assists) last Mar. 12 (12 regular-season games ago). Only two players tallied seven or more points vs. Penn State all of last season (the other was Maryland’s Jen Giles, who had eight points – four goals, four assists – in the NCAA Semifinals).
Henig scored consecutive first-half goals to turn a 4-3 deficit into a 5-4 lead. She later had a hand in Lehigh’s first two second-half goals (one goal, one assist) to keep the Mountain Hawks within striking distance, giving them a chance down the stretch. For the season, Henig owns a team-leading 10 points (four goals, team-leading six assists).
Meanwhile, Sagi helped anchor the defensive efforts, making 16 saves in goal – nine in the first half and seven in the second – while posting three groundballs and a caused turnover. Sagi held the Nittany Lions to just four second-half goals, Penn State’s fewest in a half since scoring three in the second half at Drexel last Mar. 29 (11 games ago). PSU scored four or fewer goals in just six halves last season (out of 42) – just 14 percent of the time. For the season, Sagi owns a 9.52 GAA and 54.8 save percentage.
OSU’s Terefenko (Wilson, NXT LC) earns Big Ten honor
For the third time in as many weeks, an Ohio State player has earned weekly lacrosse honors from the Big Ten Conference. Today, it was sophomore Ryan Terefenko (Wilson, NXT LC), who was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Week.
Terefenko, from Sinking Spring, Pa., had two ground balls, a caused turnover and one goal in last Saturday’s 9-7 victory over Hofstra. He was an instrumental in helping Ohio State’s defense hold the Pride scoreless for 13:48 of the fourth quarter.
Midway through the first quarter, Logan Maccani picked up a ground ball on Hofstra’s offensive end of the field and flipped it to Terefenko, who raced up the middle of the field and scored the game’s second goal. It was part of a five-goal run that gave Ohio State a 5-0 lead after the opening quarter.
An honorable mention All-American in 2017, Terefenko has a goal and two assists from his defensive midfield position to go along with six ground balls and a caused turnover through three games. With his help, Ohio State’s unit ranks first in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 7.33 goals per game.
Previously this season, sophomore Christian Feliziani was the Big Ten Specialist of the Week (Feb. 6) and Jackson Reid was the Big Ten Rookie of the Week (Feb. 13).
The fourth-ranked Buckeyes head south this weekend and face Jacksonville on Sunday at 1 p.m. as part of the Moe’s Lacrosse Classic. The game will be aired on tape delay at 9 p.m. ET on the CBS Sports Network.
Maryland’s Kelly named Offensive Player of the Week, Ohio State’s Terefenko named Defensive Player of the Week, Penn State’s Arceri claims Specialist of the Week accolades, Rutgers’ Coyne earns Freshman of the Week honors
Defensive Player of the Week
Ryan Terefenko, Ohio State
So. – M – Sinking Spring, Pa. – Wilson/NXT LC
· Led the Ohio State defense that held Hofstra scoreless for 13:48 in the fourth quarter of Ohio State’s 9-7 victory over Hofstra
· Collected two ground balls, caused a turnover and scored a goal in the Buckeyes win
· Collects his first career Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week plaudit
· Last Ohio State Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week: Freddy Freibott (April 25, 2017)
Specialist of the Week
Gerard Arceri, Penn State
So. – FO – St. James, N.Y. – Smithtown East
· Won 20 of his 27 faceoffs in Penn State’s 15-8 victory against Stony Brook, with a career high .741 faceoff win percentage
· Grabbed a career-best 16 ground balls and tallied three points, with two goals and his first-career assist
· Earns his fourth career Big Ten Specialist of the Week honor and the first of the season
· Last Penn State Big Ten Specialist of the Week: Colby Kneese (April 4, 2017)