Rookie duo earns NEC weekly honors
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – A pair of Bryant University women's lacrosse rookies in Lisa Vendel (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and Katherine Keckeisen (Danbury, Conn.) were rewarded for the parts each of them played in a 2-0 week for the Bulldogs, as the classmates were named Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week, respectively, Monday afternoon.
The honors come just a day after the Bulldogs took down league-leading Quinnipiac, 11-9, handing the Bobcats their first conference loss of the season. It is the second time Bryant has accomplished this feat, also having handed Monmouth is only NEC loss still to date.
After a quiet first half Sunday against the Bobcats, Keckeisen exploded in the second frame, recording her fourth-career hat trick in Bryant's biggest win of the season. With the Bulldogs trailing, 7-5, and less than 18 minutes to play, the frosh netted a pair of unassisted tallies in a 42-second span to knot the game at 7-7 before extending Bryant's lead to 10-7 with her third unassisted goal of the contest at the 4:05 mark of the second half. Her third score would serve as the eventual game winner, leading the Black and Gold to the 11-9 stunner.
The first-year Bulldog and Connecticut native also scored twice Friday afternoon against Sacred Heart, with both tallies coming in the opening stanza as the Bulldogs built an 8-3 lead by intermission and held off the Pioneers in the second half for the win.
Keckeisen becomes the first two-time winner of the NEC Rookie of the Week award this season with the honor, as the midfielder also garnered the award back on March 7. Her five goals on the week were a team high as Keckeisen now leads Bryant with 22 goals and ranks second on the club with 22 points.
Having already proven her offensive prowess, for Vendel, this week was about showing off her defensive skills, which turned out to be a team-leading and show-stopping performance as the rookie midfielder registered seven ground balls, six draw controls and four caused turnovers to earn her first-career NEC weekly accolade.
Vendel has been a key two-way player for the Bulldogs all season long, but it was her efforts on defense that helped spark Bryant to a pair of victories over NEC co-favorites Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac. She added a pair of assists to her defensive statistics, including the feed on Friday's game winner, and collected a career-best six ground balls and caused four turnovers while winning three draws Friday against the Pioneers.
On Sunday, the Sandy Hook, Conn. native again provided the defensive and neutral zone support the Bulldogs needed to make up a four-goal deficit and upset Quinnipiac, 11-9, who was previously undefeated in league play. Vendel recorded a ground ball and added three draw control wins in the victory. She was also honored by Synapse Sports (formerly womenslacrosse.com) as a member of its weekly Honor Roll for her performances.
On the season, the frosh is second on the Bryant side in caused turnovers (13) and ground balls (30) while she leads the team in draw controls (24) and has amassed 18 points on 14 goals and four assists.
The victories pushed Bryant's league record to 4-2 on the year as the Bulldogs return to action in their home finale Thursday for a 2011 Senior Night matchup against Central Connecticut (7 p.m.).