Oct. 29, 2012
CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - The final weekly awards of the 2012 Patriot League field hockey season were released on Monday, with a group of familiar recipients ending the regular season on a high note.
Lafayette senior Deanna DiCroce earned her fourth Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week award of the season and 10th in her career, while American senior Gina Hofmann garnered her third Defensive Player of the Week honor of the year and sixth in her career. Bucknell's Kiersten Sydnor claimed her fourth Rookie of the Week award, while Colgate's Amanda DiDomizio was named the Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week for backstopping the Raiders into the League Tournament with eight saves in a 2-1 win over Holy Cross.
The recipients represent the four teams that will play in the 2012 Patriot League Field Hockey Tournament this weekend at Lafayette's Rappolt Field. Friday's semifinals feature fourth-seed Colgate against the host and top-seed Leopards at 10 a.m., with second-seed American facing third-seed Bucknell at 2:30 p.m. The winners face off for the Patriot League Field Hockey Championship on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. For more, visit Patriot League Field Hockey Championship Central
Patriot League Field Hockey Weekly Awards (Oct. 22-28)
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DEANNA DiCROCE, LAFAYETTE Sr. F, Doylestown, Pa.
DiCroce had a huge final regular-season weekend with a combined four goals and three assists as the Leopards put an emphatic end on an outstanding year with wins of 8-0 at Lehigh on Saturday and 7-0 over Georgetown on Sunday. She had a hat trick and added an assist in the win over the Mountain Hawks that gave the Leopards their first undefeated Patriot League mark since 2002. DiCroce added a goal and two assists in the 7-0 win over Georgetown that marked her Senior Day at Rappolt Field. With the performances DiCroce moves into a tie for second place in Patriot League history in both points (142) and assists (42), and into a tie for fifth in League annals with 50 career goals. She receives her fourth Offensive Player of the Week award of the season, tying a Patriot League record. It is her 10th career honor, four more than any other player in League history.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
GINA HOFMANN, AMERICAN Sr., D, Braunschweig, Germany
Hofmann helped American earn the No. 2 seed in the Patriot League Tournament by scoring a goal in a 2-1 win over Bucknell on Saturday. She also played a huge role in limiting the Bison's opportunities, including stopping them from adding the equalizer on back-to-back penalty corners in the final three seconds of the game. Hoffman also anchored an American defense that held No. 6-ranked Maryland scoreless through the first half in an eventual 3-0 win for the Terrapins. Hofmann is named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season, and sixth in her career.
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
AMANDA DiDOMIZIO, COLGATE So., GK, Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.
DiDomizio backstopped the Raiders to the Patriot League Tournament with eight saves on nine shots in a 2-1 win over Holy Cross on Saturday. She came up big in the second half with six saves to keep the Raiders on top. Colgate is back into the Patriot League Tournament for the second time in three years. DiDomizio earns her first Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week award of the season, and third in her career.
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
KIERSTEN SYDNOR, BUCKNELL Fr., F, Shippensburg, Pa.
Sydnor earns her fourth Patriot League Rookie of the Week award after tallying Bucknell's goal in a 2-1 loss to American on Saturday. She leads all Bucknell freshmen with five goals for the season after snapping a 10-game scoreless streak. It is the seventh Rookie of the Week award by three different Bison freshmen this season.
HONORABLE MENTION
JENNA SEYBERT, LAFAYETTE So., D, Lansdale, Pa.
Seybert had three assists in an 8-0 win over Lehigh on Saturday, and tallied a pair of goals in a 7-0 triumph over Georgetown on Sunday.
ELIANA BROWN, COLGATE So., F, Annandale, Va.
Brown scored what proved to be the game-winning goal as Colgate beat Holy Cross 2-1 on Saturday to qualify for the Patriot League Tournament.
SHELLY MONTGOMERY, AMERICAN Jr., M, Fairfax, Va.
Montgomery scored the game-winning goal in American's 2-1 win over Bucknell on Saturday.
ASHLEY DALISERA, AMERICAN Jr., GK, Millersville, Md.
Dalisera made five saves in the Eagles' 2-1 win over Bucknell on Saturday after stopping eight shots in a 3-0 loss to No. 6 Maryland on Monday.
ERICA PERRINE, BUCKNELL Jr., GK, Bridgewater, N.J.
Perrine kept Bucknell close in a 2-0 loss to No. 5 Penn State on Saturday by making 12 saves in the losing effort.
KAT MATCHETT, HOLY CROSS So., GK, Maple Glen, Pa.
Matchett had 29 saves and a .707 save percentage in three games for the Crusaders last week.
