SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Bellarmine attackman Tucker Ciessau and Air Force close defenseman Brandon Jones have been named the Southern Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, for games played April 18-24, the league office announced Tuesday. Selections are made by the conference office.
Ciessau spearheaded a Bellarmine five-goal comeback in the Knights’ 12-11 victory at Mercer on Saturday after tallying five points on three goals and two assists. The first of his three goals came on a behind-the-back, over-the-shoulder shot to tie the game, 1-1, with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter. After the Knights fell behind, 13-8, early in the third period, the senior went on to score two goals and notch two assists, including the game-winning assist on a pass teammate Morgan Macko with 1:26 remaining in regulation. With his game-winning assist, Ciessau took over the No. 3 position on the Knights’ career assist list with 41.
A native of Scituate, Massachusetts, Ciessau is Bellarmine’s all-time leading scorer. He currently ranks third in the SoCon in points per game (3.08), tied for fourth in assists per game (1.25) and sixth in goals per game (1.83) this season.
Bellarmine (4-8, 3-3 SoCon) sits in sole possession of fourth place in the SoCon standings and can sew up a spot in the four-team postseason conference tournament with a win over Jacksonville (2-10, 2-4 SoCon) on Saturday. The contest between the Knights and the Dolphins is scheduled for noon (ET) at Bellarmine’s Owsley B. Frazier Stadium with senior day activities planned for pregame.
Jones garners his third SoCon weekly defensive recognition after anchoring an Air Force defense that held the then-13th ranked Richmond Spiders to only seven goals in the Falcons’ 9-7 win on Saturday. Jones held Richmond star attackman Teddy Hatfield, who currently leads the league in points per game (3.69), assists per game (1.62) and ranks third in goals per game (2.08), to just one goal on two shots. Jones also collected a game-high four caused turnovers, which is tied for second-most in a single SoCon game this season, in addition to adding three ground balls for the Falcons.
Jones currently leads the Falcons in ground balls per game (4.64), which is good for third overall in the conference, and is the ground ball getter in the league that is not a faceoff specialist. The Upper Arlington, Ohio, native also ranks sixth in the SoCon in caused turnovers per game (1.43), which is good for 30th in the country.
Air Force (9-5, 5-1 SoCon) is tied for second place with Richmond (10-3, 5-1 SoCon) in the SoCon standings, but owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Spiders per the league’s tiebreaking procedures. The Falcons will take on High Point (4-9, 2-4 SoCon) in the regular season finale on Saturday at noon (ET) in High Point, North Carolina. Saturday’s contest will mark the fourth meeting between the teams with Air Force leading the three-game series, 2-1.
Also nominated for Offensive Player of the Week: Chris Walsch (Air Force), Stephen Wierzbicki (Furman), Michael LeClair (High Point), Eric Applegate (Jacksonville) and Lucas Wittenberg (Mercer).
Also nominated for Defensive Player of the Week: Jordan Dondoyano (Bellarmine), Alec Van de Bovenkamp (Furman), Tim Troutner Jr. (High Point), Ryan Beville (Jacksonville) and Will Beecham (Mercer).
2017 Offensive Players of the Week
Feb. 14: Teddy Hatfield, Richmond
Feb. 21: Jake Nelson, Mercer
Feb. 28: Ryan Lee, Richmond
March 8: Lucas Wittenberg, Mercer
March 14: Nick Hruby, Air Force
March 21: Chris Walsch, Air Force
March 28: David Williamson, Furman
April 4: Chris Rahill, Mercer
April 11: Lou Yovino, Furman
April 18: McLean Chicquen, Jacksonville
April 25: Tucker Ciessau, Bellarmine
2017 Defensive Players of the Week
Feb. 14: Benny Pugh, Richmond
Feb. 21: Benny Pugh, Richmond
Feb. 28: Trent Harper, Air Force
March 8: Alec Van de Bovenkamp, Furman
March 14: Ryan Dennis, Richmond
March 21: Benny Pugh, Richmond
March 28: Benny Pugh, Richmond
April 4: Brandon Jones, Air Force
April 11: Brandon Jones Air Force
April 18: Hunter Forbes, Jacksonville
April 25: Brandon Jones, Air Force
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