SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Air Force’s Nick Hruby and Richmond’s Blake Goodman have been named the Southern Conference men’s lacrosse offensive and defensive players of the week, respectively, for all competition from Feb. 13-19. The awards are selected by the league office.
Air Force’s Hruby had a career day Saturday, matching the SoCon single-game record with a career-high six goals in an 8-7 win over Marist. Among Hruby’s goals was the game-winner, which he scored with 3:19 left in the contest to cap the Falcon’s game-ending 4-0 run to overcome a three-goal third-quarter deficit. The senior attackman from Coppell, Texas, scored the first of his two first-period goals just 58 seconds into the contest and completed his first hat trick of the season in the second period. He scored twice in the third period before his decisive goal in the fourth. Hruby put nine of his 12 shots on goal and scooped three ground balls in the contest.
Richmond’s Goodman posted a career-best 17 saves in the Spiders’ 9-8 win over Bucknell on Saturday, the best single-game mark in the SoCon so far on the young season. The sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, allowed just eight goals against 36 shots faced and posted a .680 save percentage in picking up his first career win. Goodman, in his first season of action following the graduation of two-time All-SoCon selection and 2017 SoCon Defensive Player of the Year Benny Pugh, also recorded his second ground ball of the season in Richmond’s first victory of the year. Goodman leads the SoCon with a .575 save percentage.
Air Force (1-2) will take on Cleveland State in Denver, Colorado, on Friday at 4 p.m. local time, while Richmond (1-1) hosts Mount St. Mary’s Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Other offensive nominees: Brian Wall (Bellarmine), David Williamson (Furman), Asher Nolting (High Point), Eric Applegate (Jacksonville), Scott Baird (Mercer) and Teddy Hatfield (Richmond).
Other defensive nominees: Trent Harper (Air Force), Alec Van de Bovenkamp (Furman) and Tommy Barnhorst (Jacksonville).
2018 Southern Conference Men’s Lacrosse Players of the Week
Offense
Feb. 13 Hunter Forbes, Jacksonville
Feb. 20 Nick Hruby, Air Force
Defense
Feb. 13 Trent Harper, Air Force
Feb. 20 Blake Goodman, Richmond
-www.SoConSports.com-