Oct. 17, 2011

EASTON, Pa. - Deanna DiCroce and Brittany Blass were honored by the Patriot League after Lafayette's two victories this past weekend over Holy Cross and Rutgers. DiCroce was named the Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week while the freshman, Blass, picked up Rookie of the Week accolades for the first time.

The award is the sixth of DiCroce's career, tying her with Megan Monahan '03 for the most in league history. The junior began the weekend with a four-point performance in a 5-0 blanking of the Crusaders, scoring the second goal of the game and assisting both of Blass' scores. Against Rutgers, DiCroce tipped in a shot from Blass 3:22 into the contest, which held up to be the game-winner. DiCroce, a Biology major from Doylestown, Pa., is tied for the League lead with nine goals and leads the conference with 24 points this year. Additionally, Lafayette is 7-0 when she finds the back of the cage.

"Deanna has been steadily getting sharper through the season, and it's good for her to be recognized again with this award," head coach Andrew Griffiths stated. "She has been working hard in practice and I think she is motivated to keep improving. That has been the key for her, as it has with all our players."

Blass earns her first Patriot League recognition, after contributing two goals against Holy Cross, including the decisive tally. Both goals were set up on penalty corners and the freshman played solid defense, keeping the Crusaders from attempting a shot or a corner in the contest.

"Brittany has been strong defensively through the season, and has made key tackles deep in our defensive end," Griffiths said. "She has also been effective on our attacking corner unit."

Lafayette is back in action on Oct. 22 when it hosts Lehigh at Rappolt Field. The game is slated for noon and is the first of three home games to end the regular season.