Espenschied, Geiersbach Take Home Atlantic 10 Weekly Honors
04/25/2017 | Women's Lacrosse
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Winners of three of the last four, the University of Richmond women's lacrosse team appears to be hitting its stride at the right time.
After Sunday's thrilling come-from-behind win over Saint Joseph's to cap off a 2-0 week, two Spiders were honored for their outstanding play with Leslie Espenschied being named Co-Defensive Player of the Week and Sam Geiersbach taking home Co-Rookie of the Week honors from the Atlantic 10.
It was Espenschied first-ever Defensive Player of the Week honor, while Geiersbach has now won the Rookie of the Week accolade five times this spring.
Espenschied led a sturdy defensive unit over the weekend in two Atlantic 10 wins. The senior defender played a large role in holding St. Bonaventure scoreless for the opening 51 minutes on Friday, collecting two ground balls in the 15-1 win. The Bonnies' one goal was the lowest scoring total for a Spider opponent since the 1995 season.
On Sunday in a 12-11 win over Saint Joseph's, Espenschied was tasked with guarding one of the top scorers in the A-10, Nora McCallion, and held the attacker scoreless and without a point for the first time since March 26, 2016, ending her 26-game goal and point streak.
Geiersbach has dominated on the offensive end this season, and this weekend was no different. The freshman scored a hat trick and added an assist in Friday's dominant 15-1 win over St. Bonaventure, going without a turnover on the day.
She then doubled her goal total on Sunday, scoring a career-high-tying six times in a 12-11 comeback win over Saint Joseph's. Five of her six goals came in the second half to keep the Spiders within reach, and she was able to convert while being face guarded the entire game. Geiersbach also collected four ground balls in the two wins. With 51 goals this season, she has broken into the program's top 10 in single-season goals.
Richmond wraps up the regular season on Saturday when they travel across town to take on the Rams of VCU. Faceoff at Cary Street Field is set for 1 p.m.
