CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Three teams earned crucial America East men's lacrosse wins over the weekend and two players who keyed two of those victories are the league's weekly award winners for the week ending April 22. The winners were announced Monday afternoon.
Ty Thompson earned Player of the Week accolades by scoring half of Albany's 16 goals in a win over UMBC, which helped clinch the America East regular-season crown for the Great Danes. Justin Rosenberg picked up Rookie of the Week recognition after leading Vermont to an 8-7 win which kept the Catamounts' conference tournament hopes alive.
Thompson (Onondaga Nation, N.Y.) scored a career-high eight goals in the Great Danes' 16-10 win over UMBC Friday to claim Player of the Week honors. The junior attack, who tallied his 100th career score against the Retrievers, scored six times in the second half as Albany outscored UMBC, 8-3, after halftime. The win helped Albany wrap up the America East regular-season title, its fourth in school history and first outright title since 2002.
Rosenberg (Boyds, Md.) stopped 15 of 22 shots he faced to lead Vermont to a critical 8-7 win at Binghamton Saturday and earned Rookie of the Week honors as a result. The freshman goalkeeper, who also had three ground balls, allowed just three second half scores to secure the win for the Catamounts, who stayed alive for the conference tournament with the win.
Albany, which remained 10th in both national polls this week, will be the No. 1 seed for the 2013 America East Championship, which takes place May 2 and 4 at Stony Brook. The Seawolves kept his tournament hopes alive with a 10-9 overtime win at Hartford Saturday. Binghamton, Hartford, UMBC, Stony Brook and Vermont will enter the final weekend of conference play fighting for three tournament bids. Full Weekend Recap
2013 America East Men’s Lacrosse Weekly Award Winners
Feb. 18 – Player of the Week: Lyle Thompson (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Brody Eastwood (Stony Brook)
Feb. 25 – Player of the Week: Adam Cohen (UMBC); Rookie of the Week: Dan Shaughnessy (Stony Brook)
March 4 - Player of the Week: Jeff Tundo (Stony Brook); Rookie of the Week: Challen Rogers (Stony Brook)
March 11 - Player of the Week: Lyle Thompson (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Jack Bobzien (Hartford)
March 18 - Player of the Week: Miles Thompson (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Nate Lewnes (UMBC)
March 25 - Player of the Week: Graham Horvath (Vermont); Rookie of the Week: Jack Bobzien (Hartford)
April 1 - Player of the Week: Lyle Thompson (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Jack Bobzien (Hartford)
April 8 - Co-Player of the Week: Matt Springer (Binghamton)/Scott Jones (UMBC); Rookie of the Week: Blaze Riorden (Albany)
April 15 - Player of the Week: Frank Piechota (Hartford); Rookie of the Week: Pat Young (UMBC)
April 22 – Player of the Week: Ty Thompson (Albany); Rookie of the Week: Justin Rosenberg (Vermont)