Anselmo, McPherson Receive GNAC Women’s Lacrosse Weekly Awards
WINTHROP, Mass. – Junior Kerri Anselmo (Natick, Mass.) and sophomore Brittany McPherson (Lynn, Mass.) have been named the Women's Lacrosse Player and Goalkeeper of the Week, respectively, by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, as announced Monday by the league office.
Anselmo started the week with an exemplary performance last Monday at Emmanuel, tying her career highs for goals and assists with six goals and five assists for a total of 11 points, playing a role in 78.6 percent of the team's goals in the match. All five assists came in the first half as she helped the Pride establish a 9-3 halftime advantage, and her fifth goal of the contest with 17:15 remaining in the second half was also the 200th point of her career, making Anselmo the fourth player to reach that milestone as a member of the Pride.
She notched a hat trick at Anna Maria Wednesday with three goals along with one assist and five ground balls. Saturday at Saint Joseph's College, she scored early in the first half to put the Pride ahead, 2-1, and then she earned three assists, including key assists in the second half that first tied the match at 8-8 and then gave Regis a 10-8 lead.
Anselmo is second on the team in goals with 24, but leads the way with 22 assists and 46 total points. She is just two assists away from the current Regis single-season record of 24 established six years ago, plus she is 50th in the country with 2.2 assists per game.
McPherson once again made sure she kept enough opponent shots out of her net for the Pride to be victorious. At Emmanuel, she tied a career high with 13 saves, posting a .619 save percentage to help Regis defeat the Saints, 14-8.
After allowing just two goals Wednesday at Anna Maria, McPherson finished with seven saves Saturday, including a couple of key saves late in regulation as well as one in overtime to extend the match. It was the first time at Regis McPherson played more than 60 minutes in a match, but she was ready for the challenge in helping her team prevail in the sudden victory situation.
For the season, McPherson is 13th in Division III in goals against average at 7.27 and 15th in the country in save percentage at .544, leading the GNAC in both categories. Other than the Anna Maria match, she has earned at least seven saves in every contest this season as the Pride have won nine straight games, including their first seven conference contests.
This is the second time this season McPherson has been named Goalie of the Week, as she previously was honored March 25. Anselmo becomes the first Pride player to receive Player of the Week recognition from the GNAC since the program joined the league at the start of last year.
Regis, currently in first place in the GNAC standings at 7-0 as part of a 9-1 overall record, plays four of its final five regular season games at home, including three this week. The Pride host Thomas College Tuesday, April 9, beginning at 4 p.m., followed by conference contests against Albertus Magnus Wednesday, April 10, at 6 p.m., and against Colby-Sawyer Saturday, April 13, at 12 p.m.