STANFORD, Calif. — Following an impressive 17-save weekend, junior goalkeeper Lucy Pearson has been named the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Defensive Player of the Week, both the organization and conference announced on Tuesday, respectively.
Pearson, who grabbed two saves in a decisive 23-4 win over Virginia Tech on Friday, earned a career-high 15 saves in the nail-biting 11-10 win over previously undefeated No. 4 Yale. Against Yale, the Philadelphia, Penn., native grabbed her 15th and final save of the afternoon in the closing minute of Sunday’s affair, stopping the Bulldogs from what would have been the game-tying goal with exactly one minute remaining in the game.
Pearson also grabbed two ground balls and one caused turnover during the game while facing a season-high 34 shots, limiting Yale to its lowest goal total this season. With Pearson’s heroics, the Cardinal survived to grab its second-highest ranked win in program history, its highest ranked win at Cagan Stadium and extended its home win streak to a DI best 20 games.
A stalwart in the cage during the 23-4 rout of Virginia Tech, Pearson spearheaded a defensive corps that held the Hokies to one goal in the final 53:42 of game action - that of which coming with under seven to go in the fourth quarter - while amassing a shutout run of 46:36.
The standout goalkeeper currently ranks top 10 in the conference in multiple categories, placing as high as fourth in the conference in goals-against average (8.75). She sits sixth in total saves with 72 on the season, seventh in the conference in saves per game (7.20) and eighth in save percentage at .462. The weekly nod is her second career weekly award and first Defensive Player of the Week nod for the Cardinal in the ACC.
Stanford is back in action this weekend, hosting the defending national champions in No. 1 Boston College on Saturday, March 22. Opening draw from Cagan Stadium is slated for 1 p.m. PT.