IWLCA Players of the Week – April 25, 2023

The IWLCA has chosen 11 student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending April 24, 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

Belle Smith – Boston College

Smith registered a game and season-high seven points in the No. 5 Eagles' 17-16 come-from-behind win over No. 1 Syracuse, helping the Eagles capture the No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, the ACC regular season title and handing the Orange their first loss of the season. The junior scored all seven points in the second half, including delivering the game-winning assist to Mckenna Davis with 1:21 left in the game. Smith finished the game with two goals, a season-best five assists, and two draw controls. The Eagles moved to No. 4 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division I Poll and will face No. 9 Duke tomorrow for their ACC opening round.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Allison Reilly – United States Military Academy

Reilly posted 12 points to help No. 16 Army West Point defeat archrival No. 23 United States Naval Academy, 15-11. The nine goals marked a single-game program record as did the 12 points. Army (13-2, 7-1) shifted up to No. 15 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division I rankings and will close out their regular season with a matchup against Lafayette College this Thursday.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Shea Dolce – Boston College

Dolce turned in a solid outing of 12 saves in the 17-16 win over No. 1 Syracuse. The freshman posted a .500 save percentage in the second half, marking her second game of the season with 10 or more stops. Dolce is fifth in the ACC in goals-against average and save percentage. 

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Jenika Cuocco - Drexel University

Cuocco held Hofstra University to four goals in 51 minutes to win her sixth Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Week honor, a CAA record. She recorded 12 total saves. The Dragons will take on Monmouth University to close out the regular season this Saturday.

Offensive Player of the Week

Helen Bae – Maryville University

Bae helped No. 12 Maryville to a 16-1 regular season record after scoring 10 goals and one assist in the 26-11 win over Rockhurst University. Bae’s goals marked her career high, while also contributing to Maryville’s program high of 26 in the process. She became only the third player in Division II to reach double digits this season, the second in Maryville history to reach double digits in a game. She added nine draw controls, chipped in two ground balls, and tallied one caused turnover as well. Seeded No. 2, the Saints will have another meeting with No. 3 seed Rockhurst in the Great Lakes Valley Conference semifinal this Friday.

Defensive Player of the Week

Ashlee Wargo – Bentley University

Wargo made 10 saves and posted a 55.6 save percentage to help the No. 18 Falcons to a 13-8 road win over No. 9 Adelphi last Tuesday. She also added three ground balls in the win. Wargo then made a season-high 15 saves and had a 53.6 save percentage in a close 13-10 defeat to Le Moyne on Saturday. In the two games, she combined for 25 saves and a 54.3 save percentage. The Falcons shifted up to No. 15 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II rankings. This marks Wargo’s second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.

Offensive Player of the Week

Emma Skoglund – Salisbury University

With Skoglund’s fourth assist on Wednesday against St. Mary's College of Maryland, the graduate attacker tallied the 200th point of her career, becoming just the 10th Sea Gulls player to achieve the milestone in program history. She finished the game with six points on five assists and a goal en route to the 17-5 win. On Saturday against No. 4 The College of New Jersey, Skoglund exploded for a career-high nine points on five goals and four assists to power No. 5 Salisbury past the Lions, 11-9. The Sea Gulls, now ranked No. 4, will have Christopher Newport in the regular season finale on Saturday.

Defensive Player of the Week

Natalie Held – Salisbury University

Held bolstered a backline for Salisbury that held both of its opponents to single-digit goals this past week. On Wednesday against St. Mary's (Md.), Held collected a game-high seven draw controls, caused a game-high three turnovers, and collected three ground balls in the Sea Gulls' 17-5 win. Then on Saturday against No. 4 TCNJ, Held caused two more turnovers and collected two draw controls and a ground ball in the top-five contest.

Offensive Player of the Week

Clarke Haas – Savannah College of Art and Design

Haas led the team in points with 10 as the No. 5 Bees went 2-0 on the week, including an upset win over No. 1 Keiser University to win the SUN Conference Championships. SCAD will enter the 2023 NAIA Women’s Lacrosse Championship as the No. 5 seed and will face No. 4 seeded The University of the Cumberlands on Wednesday, May 3, for its opening quarterfinal match. This is Haas’s third IWLCA National Player of the Week honor this season.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Lorna Fowles – Savannah College of Art and Design

Fowles recorded a save percentage of .667 as the No. 5 Bees won 9-6 over No. 1 Keiser to win the SUN Conference Championship. She made 12 saves in her 60 minutes of play against the Seahawks. This is her second IWLCA Player of the Week honor this season.

Co-Defensive Player of the Week

Mia Griswold – Reinhardt University

The midfielder was a strong force in the Reinhardt defense, leading the No. 4 NAIA ranked Eagles to a 2-0 week, but most importantly, an Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament Title. In Friday’s tournament semifinal matchup with Georgetown College, Griswold picked up seven ground balls and seven draw controls to assist in the 19-6 win. In Saturday’s Championship victory over the No. 2 Cumberlands, Griswold forced the Patriots to four turnovers, recorded three draw controls, and registered six ground balls en route to being named to the AAC All-Tournament Team. The Eagles take on No. 6 Life University in the NAIA Championship Quarterfinals on Wednesday, May 3. This is Griswold’s third IWLCA honor this season.