IWLCA Players of the Week – March 28, 2023

The IWLCA has chosen 11 student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending March 26, 2023. This weekly award recognizes the best offensive and defensive performances by players in Division I, II, III, and the NAIA each week during the regular season.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Erin Coykendall – Northwestern University

Coykendall scored a combined 11 goals and five assists in No. 2 Northwestern’s pair of wins over Johns Hopkins University and Stanford University. She had a career-high five goals against the Blue Jays but broke that mark with a new high of six against the Cardinal. She added five assists to her offensive numbers as well. Northwestern is currently on a 10-game win streak and will face No. 18 Penn State this Thursday at home.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Lizzie Yurchak – University of Delaware

Yurchak recorded a career-high six goals against Monmouth University, including the game-tying goal with 14 seconds remaining in regulation and the game-winner in overtime. Delaware's 13-12 comeback victory from down 9-4 was its largest since 2019.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Kat Buchanan – James Madison University

Buchanan boasted a career-high 12 saves as No. 5 James Madison defeated No. 12 University of Virginia, 10-8. Her .600 save percentage against UVA is marked as a career-high for a full game for Buchanan. The senior allowed just one goal in the first half against Temple University and finished the game with a .529 save percentage to hold the Owls below 10 goals. Buchanan has held nine opponents below 10 goals this season and has registered eight games with a .500 or better save percentage. Buchanan was named the American Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Week this past Monday. This is Buchanan’s second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Ellie Hollin – Pennsylvania State University

Hollin had major defensive contributions to both of No. 20 Penn State's wins this week. In a dominating 13-3 win over Ohio State University, Hollin helped the defense record a first half shutout, holding her man, the Buckeyes leading scorer, to only one goal throughout the entire game. She also posted five ground balls, five caused turnovers and one draw control against the Buckeyes. In the 15-12 win over the University of Pittsburgh, she held the Panthers' leading scorer to just one goal and added one ground ball, one caused turnover and two draw controls. Penn State has shifted up two slots to the No. 18 position in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division I poll.

Offensive Player of the Week ­

Aleya Corretjer – Pace University

Corretjer tallied 13 points on eight goals and four assists in a 2-0 week for No. 3 Pace, which included a 16-5 win over No. 5 Le Moyne in NE10 play. She recorded nine points (five goals, three assists) in the win over the Dolphins, while racking up four points - including a hat trick - in an 18-11 win over Southern Connecticut State University. She added two ground balls, two draw controls and one caused turnover this week. Pace has now moved into the No. 2 position in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II rankings.

Defensive Player of the Week

Grace Frasso – West Chester University

Frasso played an integral role on a defense that held two opponents, one of those being No. 11 ranked East Stroudsburg University, to just five goals each in a pair of wins. Part of that effort included holding All-America midfielder Emily Mitarotonda from ESU to just two points (1G, 1A) in a 16-5 win. Additionally, Frasso helped the No. 1 Golden Rams clear the ball successfully 25 of 27 times in the two games combined. She finished the week with five draw controls and five caused turnovers while scooping up three ground balls.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Jane Earley – Middlebury College

Earley helped No. 1 Middlebury extend its win streak to 13 with three wins this past week. Against No. 3 The College of New Jersey, Earley paced the team with a school record 13 draw controls and a team-best six goals to help the Panthers edge the Lions 17-11. In the three-game stretch, Earley led the squad in points (13), goals (12), and draw controls (28), while also scooping up five rollers. The senior leads the New England Small College Athletic Conference in draws (63), points (37), and goals (28) and has now earned IWLCA Player of the Week nods twice this season.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Dylan Edwards – Warren Wilson College

Edwards helped lead the Warren Wilson attack from a 7-2 deficit in the first quarter to a seven-goal run in the second quarter en route to a 16-11 win over Sweet Briar College. Dylan's five goals and six assists, totaling 11 points, is a program record for Warren Wilson. With six assists, Edwards broke the assists in a game record for the program as well. After just five games, Edwards leads the team in assists (12) and has 20 goals for the season. Dylan was also awarded the Coast-to-Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Week for this past week’s performance.  

Defensive Player of the Week

Anna Schipf – Western Connecticut State University

Schipf was named the Little East Conference Goalie of the Week after totaling 11 saves in Western Connecticut’s 10-9 overtime triumph at U.S. Coast Guard Academy last week. Seven of those stops came in the second half, and she turned away the only shot on target she faced in the extra period.  

Offensive Player of the Week

Jillian Mello – Reinhardt University

Mello posted six goals and five assists in the NAIA No. 2 Eagle’s dominating 27-2 win over Tennessee Wesleyan University on Saturday. She added five ground balls and two caused turnovers to the matchup as well. Reinhardt is now 4-0 in conference play, 8-3 overall.

Defensive Player of the Week

Talia Myers – Keiser University

Myers started the week by tying her career-high of five goals against Saint Ambrose University on Tuesday. She followed it up by registering two goals and one assist in Keiser’s biggest win of the season, defeating No. 4 Life University 11-8. Myers rounded out the week with an additional three goals in the win over Webber International and a combined total of 14 draw controls on the week. The junior midfielder now leads the team in goals (30) and draw controls (58) while ranking second in total groundballs (26) and caused turnovers (19). This is Myers second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season. The Seahawks remain unbeaten at 11-0 on the season.