The United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association released its 10th 2019 Division II Warrior and New Balance Team of the Week accolades on Tuesday, April 16. Ten players earned recognition from the organization as they each posted exceptional performances in their programs games this past week.
The list of honorees are as follows:
Alex Astarita, Bentley (Sr., A, Bedford, N.H.)
Astarita totaled 10 points on six goals and four assists in helping Bentley to wins over ranked teams Assumption and Saint Anselm. Astarita had a career high with six points in the 11-8 win at Assumption, including four goals and two assists. Astarita then had two goals and two assists in the Falcons' 10-8 win over Saint Anselm.
Robbie Berardi, Indianapolis (Jr., FO, Strongsville, Ohio)
Faceoff specialist Berardi continued to dominate at the X, giving UIndy several more opportunities to add to its lead. Berardi went 20-of-24 on the faceoff at Maryville, while scooping up 14 ground balls.
Sean Black, Merrimack (So., A, Cheshire, Conn.)
Black led Merrimack in scoring over the week with 13 points over two games. He produced eight on three goals and five assists in a road win at Franklin Pierce before adding five more in a top-10 win over No. 9 Pace on Saturday afternoon. He also added three ground balls and a caused turnover in that span.
Joe Buduo, Lenoir-Rhyne (Sr., A, Shrewsbury, Mass.)
Buduo reached the 200-point mark for his career and led LR to a pair of wins including one over No. 19 Catawba (17-5). Buduo scored four times and handed out three assists in the win over Catawba and had a goal and four assists against Mars Hill. Also became the program's all-time leader in career points.
Philip Buque, Saint Leo (Jr., A, Whitby, Ontario)
Buque spearheaded a 2-0 week for the Saint Leo Lions as the team’s leading offensive force with nine goals, including the overtime game-winner over Florida Tech, and four assists. The junior attacker’s 13-point week featured four goals, an assist, four ground balls and a caused turnover against Florida Southern followed by five goals, a pair of assists, and a ground ball.
Alex Pfeil, Rockhurst (Sr., GK, Ellisville, Mo.)
Pfeil saved a career-high 18 shots in a 12-6 victory over No. 18 Lindenwood through 60 minutes of play. Pfeil made nine saves in the fourth period, including seven in the final 7:25. He faced 44 shots, recording a .750 save percentage and grabbed three ground balls.
Nick Ponte, Merrimack (Jr., GK, North Reading, Mass.)
Ponte stopped 20 of the 26 shots he saw over the course of nearly 1-1/2 games in net last week. He came in during the second half of a road win at Franklin Pierce and stopped 6-of-7 shots and turned away 14-of-19 against No. 9 Pace in another convincing win on Saturday. On the week, he posted a .769 save percentage and a 4.34 goals against average.
Evan Schimek, Rollins (Sr., D, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)
Schimek was instrumental for the No. 20 Tars as they almost upset No. 16 Tampa, and rolled to an easy victory over Palm Beach Atlantic. Against the No. 16 Spartans, Schimek earned seven ground balls and four caused turnovers while helping to hold the Spartans to just 19 shots on goal.
Larson Sundown, Limestone (Jr., A, Basom, N.Y.)
Sundown totaled 13 points on 11 goals and two assists in a pair of wins - registered four goals and two assists in a 15-10 win over No. 7 Belmont Abbey - scored seven goals in a game for the third time this season - tallied six goals in the first quarter against Barton
Clark Walter, Limestone (Jr., M, Port Coquitlam, British Columbia)
Walter finished with 12 points in two wins - Recorded eight points on six goals and two assists in a 15-10 win over No. 7 Belmont Abbey - added four goals in a 20-10 win over Barton.
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