Lyndonville, Vermont, sophomore and NE10 Most Outstanding Player earns national recognition after leading Skyhawks to tenth NE10 Championship
IWLCA National Weekly Award Winners
EASTON, Mass. (May 11, 2022) – Stonehill College sophomore midfielder Lilly Leach has been named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division II Offensive Player of the Week after leading the Skyhawks to a tenth Northeast-10 Conference Championship, the organization announced.
Leach, who is the second Stonehill student-athlete to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors in Division II from the IWLCA after junior Lydia Rudden collected the honors in back-to-back weeks on April 20 and 27, receives the national recognition for the first time. Leach earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the NE10 Championships in leading top-seeded Stonehill to its record tenth championship – its first since 2008. She scored a team-high 11 goals and collected an incredible 32 draw controls, with two caused turnovers and four ground balls over the Skyhawks three NE10 Tournament wins.
Leach opened the week with a career-high 14 draw controls, while scoring a goal in Wednesday's 18-8 quarterfinal round win over eighth-seeded and No. 22-ranked University of New Haven. She keyed top-seeded Stonehill's comeback from a seven-goal halftime deficit for a 20-15 win over fourth-seeded and No. 13-ranked Pace University in Saturday's semifinals by scoring all of her career-high six goals in the second half, while adding eight draw controls, three ground balls and two caused turnovers. She totaled four goals, ten draws and a ground ball in Sunday's 13-12 overtime win against third-seeded and No. 11-ranked Le Moyne College in the NE10 Championship, helping the team rally from as much as a four-goal deficit in the first half.
Leach, an All-NE10 third team selection, earns IWLCA National Player of the Week honors for the first time. She collected an incredible 32 draw controls in the Skyhawks three NE10 Tournament games and was named Most Outstanding Player of the Championship (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes) |
Leach, an All-NE10 third team selection last week, has started all 18 games played for Stonehill this spring. She is one of six Skyhawks with 30-plus goals this season for the top offense in the NE10 with 32 goals and two assists for 34 points, ranking sixth on the team in scoring. Leach has also contributed on the draw with 92 draw controls after her 32 in the NE10 Tournament to rank sixth among NE10 leaders to go with 17 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers. She has scored multiple goals in seven games this season, including the last two, with three-plus goals in five games, and multiple draw controls in four games, including three of the last four. Her draw control total ranks fifth on Stonehill's all-time single-season list and is a key part of a Skyhawks team that leads the Conference and ranks third nationally in Division II with 18.5 draw controls per game.
Leach has appeared in 22 games over her Stonehill career, adding 20 ground balls, 94 draw controls and 19 caused turnovers to the 32 goals and two assists for 34 points she has recorded this year over her career. She has been named to the NE10 Academic Honor Roll each semester.
Stonehill (17-2, 12-1 NE10), who have also captured the NE10 Regular Season Championship this spring, has earned the top seed and hosting rights for this weekend's NCAA Division II Tournament East Regional at W.B. Mason Stadium. The Skyhawks, who are making their ninth NCAA Tournament appearance, are hosting their first NCAA Tournament games since winning the 2003 National Championship. Stonehill opens the NCAA Tournament with a first round matchup with Mercy College (14-4, 6-0 ECC) on Friday at 11 a.m. Game two will feature second-seeded Adelphi University (16-2, 12-1 NE10) and third-seeded Le Moyne College (15-5, 10-3 NE10) at 3 p.m. The East Regional Championship will be played at W.B. Mason Stadium on Sunday at noon.
In addition to the East Region top seed, Stonehill moved up three spots to No. 5 in this week's IWLCA Division II poll, marking its highest national ranking since 2011, and is ranked No. 7 in the USA Lacrosse Magazine Division II poll. The Skyhawks have swept both the NE10 regular season and tournament championships for the tenth time and first time since 2008 and is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015.
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