Big South Announces Women's Lacrosse Players of the Week - March 19
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Longwood attacking midfielder Riley McDonald (Easton, Pa.) has been named the Big South Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Week, while Lancers midfielder Miranda Helfenbein (Queenstown, Md.) is the Defensive Player of the Week for matches played March 11-17, it was announced today. In addition, Radford attacking midfielder Maddie Abbott (Ventnor, N.J.) has been named the Freshman of the Week.
McDonald totaled 10 points on nine goals and one assist to lead Longwood in two games last week. She put 13 of her 15 shots on cage ( =86.7 percent) and added two draw controls. The senior opened the week with a five-point effort on four goals and one assist to lift the Lancers over George Mason for their first home win of the season. She had a hand in half of the team’s goals in the 10-7 victory, including scoring the game-winner. She then followed up with a season-high five goals on five shots in a narrow 13-12 defeat to William & Mary.
Helfenbein tallied eight draw controls, three caused turnovers and three ground balls in two starts last week. She was integral in helping Longwood post its first home win of the season as she anchored a Lancer defense that held George Mason, one of the A-10’s top-scoring teams, to just seven goals. In addition, she helped hold George Mason’s top goal scorer goalless on the afternoon. Helfenbein then went on to post a season-high five draw controls, two caused turnovers and one ground ball in a one-goal loss to William & Mary.
Abbott scored a career-high four goals on four shots in a 13-10 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson last Tuesday for Radford’s first home win of the season. She also added two ground balls. The Ventnor, N.J. native struck for the first time in the second quarter to tie the game at 3-3 before adding a second consecutive goal less than three minutes later to give the Highlanders a first-half lead. She tacked on a third goal early in the third quarter before capping her day with a fourth goal with 5:06 to play in the fourth to put Radford ahead by three at the time, 12-9.