Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/7/19
After one of the best single-game performances at his position in school history, Ursinus College senior Brian Casey (Haverford School) was named the Centennial Conference men’s lacrosse defensive player of the week.
Casey was a force from the faceoff circle as the Bears improved to 4-0 with a thrilling 12-10 victory over then-No. 14 Christopher Newport at St. Paul’s School just outside of Baltimore. The senior finished 17-for-20 from the X, matching the program record with 14 ground balls and helping Ursinus play keep away from a high-powered Captains squad that had just dismantled then-No. 12 Roanoke to the tune of 17-3 a few days prior.
Casey was also a standout in the Bears’ 15-9 victory over then-No. 17 Cortland during Wednesday’s home opener. He was 7-of-11 on faceoffs in that contest and added three ground balls.
Despite missing almost all of last season due to injury, and playing in only two games in the current campaign, Casey ranks fourth all-time at Ursinus with 147 faceoff wins. He boasts a career success rate of nearly 60 percent from the circle.
DelVal’s Brown earns honor
Junior goalie Nic Brown (Cumberland Valley) picked up just the second national weekly award in the five-year history of the Delaware Valley University men’s lacrosse program as he was named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)/Warrior and New Balance Division III Team of the Week.
Each week, ten players earned recognition from the organization for exceptional performances in their programs games during the past week.
Brown and the Aggies went 1-0 last week with a 6-5 triumph in the annual Battle for the Bucks-Mont Hammer rivalry game against Arcadia University on Friday night. Brown faced 30 shots on goal (56 total shots) and recorded a career-high 25 saves, also setting a program record for saves in a game. He finished with a .833 save percentage and added three ground balls in the process.
Lehigh’s Gaffney (Lenape, NJ), Spence (Springfield-Delco) earn honors
Following their strong performances in Lehigh’s big 10-8 win at No. 16/19 Colgate Saturday, Lehigh men’s lacrosse junior Conor Gaffney (Lenape) and sophomore James Spence (Springfield-Delco) have garnered Patriot League weekly awards, as announced on Monday. Gaffney was named the league’s Faceoff Specialist of the Week for the first time this season and eighth time in his career. It marks his 12th career weekly award, including four Rookie of the Week honors as a freshman. Meanwhile, Spence was named Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time this season (third-career weekly award overall).
Facing a team that had won nearly 50 percent of its draws through three games, Gaffney absolutely dominated, winning 17-of-20 faceoffs with 14 groundballs. The effort proved critical in the Mountain Hawks’ big 10-8 win against the Raiders. Gaffney finished 8-of-10 in the first half and 9-of-10 in the second. For the season, he stands fifth nationally in faceoff percentage (68.8) to go with 41 groundballs.
Spence was strong in making 11 saves, allowing just eight goals against the Raiders. He stopped 4-of-5 in the first quarter and 6-of-8 in the first half to help the Mountain Hawks open a 6-2 halftime advantage. Spence went on to stop 4-of-6 in the fourth quarter to help Lehigh wrap up its ninth season-opening victory in the last 10 years. For the season, Spence owns an 8.71 goals against average and 0.521 save percentage.
The Mountain Hawks return home for the first time in a month when they host No. 16/17 Army West Point next Saturday, Mar. 9 at 1 p.m.
