Sept. 26, 2011

Center Valley, Pa. -- The Patriot League announced its weekly awards for Sept. 19-25 in field hockey, men and women's soccer, volleyball and cross country Monday.

The Patriot League field hockey schedule begins this weekend, and the eight-time defending champions come in with momentum after a big win on Sunday. American defeated No. 6 Boston College 2-1 for its second victory over a top-10 opponent this season, and was rewarded with three weekly awards from the Patriot League as Alex McMackin, Ashley Dalisera and Rebecca Treharne were each honored. The Eagles begin defense of their crown on Saturday at home against Lehigh, while Lafayette visits Colgate and Holy Cross goes to Bucknell in the other Patriot League openers.

In women's soccer, the final weekend of non-Patriot League play has come and gone and all eight teams are gearing up for the start of the most important leg of the regular season. Colgate continues scoring goals in bunches, surpassing last year's total for the entire season with about half the slate still to go. The Raiders won a pair of matches by a 2-1 count before besting Canisius Sunday 3-2. Colgate has won three in a row and captured a pair of weekly awards Monday. Army has won two in a row while Navy is 2-0-1 in its last three contests, and each picked up one weekly nod Monday. American's 4 p.m. home match Monday against George Washington ends an eight-day stretch with at least one League team in action. Lafayette hosts Cornell Wednesday at 7 p.m. before League play starts Saturday. Navy visits American at 1 p.m., Lehigh entertains Lafayette at 3 p.m. and Bucknell travels to Colgate at 4 p.m. One match is set for Sunday with Army hosting Holy Cross at 1 p.m.

Patriot League play opened over the weekend in men's soccer, with American, Army and Lehigh capturing victories. The Eagles snapped Colgate's nine-match undefeated streak in regular-season League play with a 3-0 victory in the nation's capital. The Mountain Hawks rode their typically stingy defense into a thrilling double-overtime win at Bucknell, while Army took a 2-1 win from Holy Cross at West Point. It's the first time the Black Knights have opened League play with a win since 2000. A year after Lafayette took a 1-0 victory at Navy during a chaotic finish to the regular season, the two clubs played to a scoreless tie in Easton on Saturday. The draw snapped the Leopards' eight-match win streak against the Mids, who earned a point versus Lafayette for the first time since 2002. Three teams have non-League tilts scheduled for Tuesday, and League play resumes Saturday with four matches, including the annual rivalry showdown between Army and Navy.

In women's volleyball, the first weekend of Patriot League play is in the books with American and Army standing tall at 2-0, and Colgate, Holy Cross, Lehigh and Navy all picked up wins. American has three straight victories, including a pair over teams it faced in last year's Patriot League Tournament. Army has won seven of its last nine and bested a tough Lehigh squad Friday before sweeping Lafayette Saturday. There's just one non-League game scheduled this week. League play resumes this weekend with eight matches scheduled across Friday and Saturday. Army and American will engage in an early battle for first place when the two face each other Friday at 7 p.m. at West Point.

Lehigh defeated Lafayette in both men and women's cross country to make it seven straight seasons of sweeps for the Mountain Hawks. The men alone have won 13 straight. All eight schools will be in action this Friday when Lehigh hosts the Paul Short Run at 10 a.m. The Colgate men will be the only Patriot League team missing from the event, but it will still work out to be a nice preview for the Patriot League Championships, slated to be run on the same course on Oct. 29.

Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
ALEX McMACKIN, AMERICAN So., F, Blue Bell, Pa.
McMackin scored goals in each of the Eagles' games last week, including the winning tally as American defeated No. 6 Boston College 2-1 on Sunday. She scored the game-tying goal in the 65th minute of an eventual 2-1 overtime loss to Richmond on Friday before notching American's second goal which proved to be the difference in the 53rd minute against Boston College. It was American's second win over a top-10 team this season. McMackin is tied for the Patriot League lead with five goals this season, and stands second with 11 points. She is named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season and third in her career.

Defensive Player of the Week
CAROLYN CABREY, LAFAYETTE Sr., M/D, North Wales, Pa.
Cabrey receives her second consecutive Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week award after a stellar outing in Lafayette's 2-1 loss to No. 16 Albany on Sunday. She gave Lafayette the lead with a first-half goal, and helped the defense hold the Great Danes to just seven shots overall and six on goal in the game. Cabrey is tied for third in the Patriot League with four goals this season.

Goalkeeper of the Week
ASHLEY DALISERA, AMERICAN So., GK, Millersville, Md.
Making her first collegiate start, Dalisera debuted in style with seven saves to lead American to a 2-1 win over No. 6 Boston College on Sunday. She faced 14 shots overall and eight on goal in the second half alone and was able to turn aside all but one to earn her first victory. Dalisera also takes home her first Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week award.

Rookie of the Week
REBECCA TREHARNE, AMERICAN Fr., M, Llanelli, Wales
Treharne played nearly all of the minutes at midfield in American's two games over the weekend, including a 2-1 win over No. 6 Boston College on Sunday. The freshman has started each of the last six games after limited time early in the season. She claims the Patriot League Rookie of the Week award for the first time.

Honorable Mention
OLIVIA NABHAN, COLGATE So., F, Rye, N.Y.
Nabhan recorded her second two-goal game of the season on Sunday to lift Colgate past Brown 3-2.

TATUM DYER, AMERICAN Sr., D, Windham, N.H.
Dyer anchored an American defense that allowed just three goals in two games, including a 2-1 win over No. 6 Boston College on Sunday.

Patriot League Men's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
TRENT BROWN, ARMY Jr., F, La Crosse, Wis.
Brown recorded points in a pair of Army victories last week. He started by logging the assist on the game-winning goal by Devin Perlee in the Black Knights'; 2-1 come-from-behind victory at Bryant. Brown's big week continued on the first day of League play, as he scored his team's first goal of the game and assisted on the game-winner as Army defeated Holy Cross 2-1 at West Point Saturday night. The junior from La Crosse, Wis., owns a team-high six points and is tied with two teammates for the team lead with a pair of goals. Brown is Army's first Offensive Player of the Week since Garrett Dresel during the 2007 season, and his efforts lifted the Black Knights to their first 1-0-0 start in League play in 11 years.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JORDIE CIUFFETELLI, LEHIGH Sr., D, Unionville, Pa.
Ciuffetelli was the star of Saturday's defensive struggle between League rivals Bucknell and Lehigh. He made his way onto the score sheet with the assist on Kevin Strunk's game-winning double-overtime marker in the 106th minute that lifted the Mountain Hawks to a 1-0 victory over the Bison in Lewisburg. But the match might not have gotten that far had it not been for Ciuffetelli's two defensive saves when he cleared a ball off the goal line. The first came in the first half, while the second was in double overtime, shortly before Strunk headed in the game-winner. Ciuffetelli garnered national honors as well Monday when he was named to the College Soccer News National Team of the Week.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
MATT MAKOWSKI, AMERICAN Sr., GK, Quakertown, Pa.
Makowski recorded his first shutout of the season at just the right time, making five saves in American's League play-opening 3-0 victory over defending regular-season champion Colgate in Washington, D.C. After Seth Goldman's goal put the Eagles up 1-0, Makowski went to work starting with a critical save in the 15th minute to stop Jimmy McLaughlin on an open-field chance. Early in the second half after the Eagles made it 2-0, Makowski stopped back-to-back opportunities by Mike Reidy and James Byer to maintain the lead.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
DEVIN PERLEE, ARMY Fr., M, South Orange, N.J.
Perlee had been held without a goal over his team's first seven matches, but that changed in a hurry when he singlehandedly rallied Army to a 2-1 victory at Bryant last week. Perlee tied the match in the 79th minute when he headed a Kyle Golonski feed into the upper-right corner of the net for his first collegiate goal. He then upped himself by scoring the game-winner 8:17 later when he fired a Trent Brown feed into the net to cap off the thrilling road victory. Perlee was held scoreless against Holy Cross but logged two of his team's six shots on goal in the 2-1 League win over the Crusaders. Perlee is Army's first Rookie of the Week since Michael Leach at the end of the 2007 season.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
AARON DUPERE, NAVY So., GK, Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
Dupere went 1-0-1 last week in net for the Mids, making six saves in a midweek 2-1 victory at Richmond before stopping a pair in a scoreless draw shutout at Lafayette. He recorded his 100th career stop in the win versus the Spiders.

GRAHAM HEYDT, LAFAYETTE Sr., GK, Northbrook, Ill.
Heydt made eight saves to preserve a 0-0 draw with visiting Navy in the Patriot League opener for both teams Saturday in Easton. It was his third shutout of the season and the fourth for the Leopards.

KEVIN STRUNK, LEHIGH Sr., D, Downingtown, Pa.
Strunk, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the preseason choice for the award this season, showed his offensive prowess as well when he scored the game-winner in double overtime as Lehigh edged Bucknell 1-0 in Lewisburg in the Patriot League opener.

SETH GOLDMAN, AMERICAN Jr., F, Fairfax, Va.
Goldman's tally early in the first half set the tone for American as it eventually went on for a 3-0 victory over Colgate in the Patriot League opener for both teams. Goldman scored in traffic off a sliding header after a corner kick to put the Eagles up 1-0.

Patriot League Women's Soccer Weekly Awards

BRINE OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MADDIE MALONE, COLGATE Sr., M, Glen Ridge, N.J.
A senior co-captain who has been playing a lot of defense for the Raiders this season, Malone pitched in on the offensive side of the ball last week, posting a team-high five points on two goals and an assist. She tallied Colgate's double-overtime game-winner in Tuesday's 2-1 victory over Dartmouth and scored a goal and tallied an assist in Sunday's 3-2 win over Canisius. She opened the scoring in the first minute when she converted a penalty kick, then set up Caroline Brawner's marker 21 minutes later. Malone now leads the League with five assists and is fourth with nine points. It marks the first Patriot League weekly award in Malone's career.

BRINE DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KATE HERREN, NAVY Sr., D, Auburn, Wash.
Herren played every minute in Navy's three matches last week, and her always solid and sometimes stellar defense paved the way for the Mids' 2-0-1 mark. After playing 103 minutes in Monday's 2-1 double-overtime win over Monmouth, Herren was called upon after a red card left her team down a player in Wednesday's match at UMBC. She played the final 52 minutes as her team's only player in the center of the defense and performed a number of individual efforts that helped stifle the Retrievers' offensive opportunities. In Sunday's 1-0 win over Francis Marion, Herren led a Navy defense that did not allow a shot until the 75th minute.

BRINE GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
MONICA LEE, ARMY Sr., GK, Crystal Beach, Fla.
Lee logged back-to-back 1-0 shutouts last week, enabling the Black Knights to bounce back after a tough home loss to Delaware with victories against Howard and Marist in non-League play. She played strong in goal, especially in the second half of Sunday's victory over the Red Foxes, where she made three saves in the first 10 minutes after halftime to deny Marist the equalizer. With the win, Army snapped Marist's four-match winning streak. In Thursday's blanking of Howard, Lee's biggest save came in the 73rd minute to once again preserve a 1-0 lead. Lee has eight shutouts on the season and 15 for her career, putting her four shy of the League's all-time top 10.

BRINE ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
CAROLINE BRAWNER, COLGATE Fr., M/F, Mill Creek, Wash.
Brawner tallied points in two matches last week and logged a multiple-point outing in Sunday's 3-2 win over Canisius. She assisted on Alyssa Manoogian's game-tying goal in the 68th minute of Tuesday's contest against Dartmouth, a match the Raiders eventually won in double overtime. Brawner scored in the 23rd minute off a free-kick feed from Maddie Malone to put Colgate up 2-0 and picked an assist on Jillian Kinter's 77^th-minute strike that held up as the game-winner. With her efforts last week, Brawner moved into sole possession of fifth in the League with eight points, while her three goals on the season are tied for fourth.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
CAPRICE KELTY, NAVY Fr., F, Odenton, Md.
Kelty scored both of her team's goals, including the winner in double overtime, as Navy edged Monmouth 2-1 on Monday. Her first tally was unassisted in the 69th minute, and her game-winner in the 104th minute came after the Hawks had tied the match near the end of regulation.

LAUREN SMEDLEY, LAFAYETTE Jr., GK, Hamilton, N.J.
Smedley went 1-0-1 on the week, stopping 10 shots in a 2-2 draw at Princeton before making a pair of saves to pick up a 1-0 shutout of Manhattan. She now has five clean sheets on the season and 17 for her career.

JILLIAN KINTER, COLGATE Jr., F, Newburyport, Mass.
Kinter logged a pair of game-winning markers last week, scoring in the second half at St. Bonaventure to give the Raiders a 2-1 victory over the Bonnies. She came up big again in the final 45 minutes of Sunday's 3-2 win over Canisius, logging the game-winning goal over the Griffins.

GINA RIGHINI, HOLY CROSS Fr., M, Salem, N.H.
Righini logged her team-high third goal of the season last week, scoring the game-tying marker in the second half of what ended up as a 1-1 draw at Rider, a team that had won seven of its first 10 matches on the season.

Patriot League Women's Volleyball Weekly Awards

MOLTEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MARGAUX JARKA, ARMY So., OH, Rolling Prairie, Ind.
Jarka provided an immediate spark for the Black Knights in their 3-1 victory at Lehigh Friday. The Mountain Hawks came from behind to take the first set, but Army rallied thanks to the push provided by Jarka. She tallied 13 kills and hit .312 in the match as the Black Knights won the next three sets to bounce back for the win. She started Saturday's match at Lafayette and logged eight kills without an error and hit .421 as the Black Knights swept the Leopards. For the week she hit .353 with 21 total kills, averaging three per set.

MOLTEN ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
MARY VACCARO, ARMY Fr., S, Orinda, Calif.
Vaccaro recorded her sixth and seventh straight double-doubles in assists and digs as Army jumped out to 2-0 in the Patriot League with road wins at Lehigh and Lafayette. In addition to her 47 assists, she logged her second consecutive career-best 19-dig performance in Friday's 3-1 win over the Mountain Hawks. She added 39 assists and tallied three blocks in Saturday's sweep at the Leopards. She averaged 12.29 assists and 4.57 digs per set as the Black Knights dropped only one frame on the weekend. Last week Vaccaro ranked 15th in the nation and fourth among freshmen averaging 11.56 assists per set.

HONORABLE MENTIONS
SARA RISHELL, AMERICAN Fr., OH/MB, Hagerstown, Md.
Rishell logged double-digit kills in every match this week, helping the Eagles go 3-0 with a pair of League victories. She hit .588 with 11 kills and just one error in Friday's sweep of Bucknell, then logged 13 kills and seven blocks in Saturday's four-set win against Colgate. She hit .406 for the week and averaged over three kills per set.

REBECCA HEATH, AMERICAN Sr., OH, Naperville, Ill.
Heath led the Eagles to a 3-0 week, hitting .304 across all three matches and .301 during the two League bouts against Bucknell and Colgate. She hit .400 with 11 kills in Friday's victory over the Bison and added another 11 kills in Saturday's four-set win against the Raiders. She narrowly missed a double-double with 15 kills and nine digs in Wednesday's 3-1 win over at non-League opponent Loyola (Md.).

JESSICA KUDIRKA, LEHIGH Sr., S, Orland Park, Ill.
Kudirka averaged 11.67 assists per set for the week, totaling 105 over nine sets as the Mountain Hawks went 2-1. She logged a double-double with 37 assists and 13 digs in the 3-1 loss to Army.

MEGAN LYNCH, HOLY CROSS Jr., OH, Mendham, N.J.
Lynch averaged 4.44 kills and 3.11 digs per set last week, including a 12-kill, 12-dig performance in the Crusaders' 3-0 League win at Lafayette. She became just the third player in Holy Cross history with 1,000 digs when she reached the mark in the match against the Leopards.

LINDSAY YOUNG, COLGATE So., MB, Tampa, Fla.
Young tallied 30 kills, including a career-best 20 Saturday at American, along with 20 digs to pace the Raiders to a 1-1 weekend.

KATIE BRAY, NAVY Jr., RSH, Cary, N.C.
Bray averaged over 3.00 kills per set for the week, and logged a double-double of 13 kills and 16 digs as Navy rallied from 2-0 down for a thrilling 3-2 victory over Bucknell on the opening weekend of League play. It was one of two double-doubles on the week, as she logged the other in a five-set win over Morgan State.

Patriot League Cross Country Weekly Awards

Male Runner of the Week
CODY ROME, NAVY Sr., Eagle, Idaho
Rome wins his third consecutive weekly award, placing 16th out of 220 runners at the Roy Griak Invitational Saturday. He finished the 8K race in 24:33, running against some of the best runners in the nation, including athletes from No. 10 Portland, No. 11 North Carolina and No. 24 Minnesota.

Female Runner of the Week
KATHERINE PIERCE, LEHIGH Sr., Alfred, Maine
Pierce placed first at the Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet, leading the Mountain Hawks to a seventh straight win over the visiting Leopards Friday. Pierce fought through a heavy downpour to finish the 6K race in a time of 21:54.6.

Male Rookie of the Week
CASEY GILBOY, LEHIGH Fr., Latham, N.Y.
Gilboy was the top freshmen at the Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet Friday, finishing the 8K race in seventh place with a time of 26:45.7. He was just 15 seconds behind the first-place finisher and helped Lehigh sweep the top eight spots in the race.

Female Rookie of the Week
SAVANNA PLOMBON, LEHIGH Fr., Frederick, Md.
Plombon helped the Lehigh women take first place at the Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet Friday, finishing second in a time of 22:11.6. It was her second-best 6K time of the season.

Honorable Mentions
SAM BERNITT, LEHIGH So., Harleysville, Pa.
Bernitt led the Mountain Hawks at the Lafayette-Lehigh dual meet Friday, finishing the 8K race in first with a time of 26:30.3. He took the top spot despite falling halfway through the race as the competitors ran through a heavy downpour that soaked the course.