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`Junior Elizabeth Weekly went on a scoring spree Sunday afternoon leading the women’s lacrosse team to a 17-2 victory over Seton Hill. Her first goal of the game not only boosted the Marauders closer to victory but was also her 100th career goal. She went on to score four more goals putting her career total at 104.
“I actually had no idea it was my 100th goal; I realized it when I read the article online,” Weekly said. “It is a really great accomplishment to be among the other athletes who have reached this goal.”
Weekly is only the ninth lacrosse player in school history to achieve this milestone. The accomplishment ranks her eighth on the all-time scoring list surpassing Marlo Magliocchetti’s 1989 record and also helped her earn the honor of being named the PSAC East Player of the Week. This past week she played in three games and scored nine goals and four assists leading the Marauders to two victories. On the defensive end she caused her opponents to turnover the ball five times, had 14 ground balls and 10 draw controls. This season she has a total of 23 goals and seven assists. Weekly is the first Marauder to earn the Player of the Week title this season.
Weekly first started playing lacrosse in seventh grade. The sport’s competitive aspect was attractive to her. She continued to play the sport in high school and spent those four years preparing to play in college.
“I have a lot of respect toward my high school lacrosse coach, Andrew Bachman. He was my head coach for four years and molded me into the player I am today,” Weekly said. “He put a lot of time and effort into my lacrosse career and helped me get to collegiate playing. He is someone that has disciplined me to challenge myself everyday whether it is on the lacrosse field or as a student.”
The motto “practice makes perfect” is one Weekly applies. She believes in going hard at all times and that how she practices will be how she plays.
Junior Liz Weekly cradles the ball as she carries it downfield looking for an open teammate in a recent match against West Chester. Photo by: Christian Shuts.
“I always make practice challenging for myself individually and as a team,” Weekly said. “Being part of the Millersville lacrosse team is very beneficial toward my game because I know every individual out there will challenge me to the best of my ability and they know I will do the same for them.”
Her dedication to practice as well as her teammates was evident on the field this past week as they upped their standing to 4-3. Against Seton Hill, they hammered the goal cage with 41 shots, 23 shots coming in the second half.
At the end of the first half the Marauders led 5-1. Junior Katie DiRico whipped in three goals and freshman Brittney Long scored a career high four goals.
On Saturday, the team also pulled out a 14-11 win when they traveled to Slippery Rock. The Marauders out shot the Rock 33-22, advancing their record 3-3 and pushing Slippery Rock back 2-7. DiRico scored three goals for the Marauders and had two assists. Long, sophomores Mary Houtmann and Katrina Segar also had two goals apiece.
At the end of the first half, the Marauders had a two point lead and jumped the lead 10-5 with three goals at the start of the second half.
With 23 minutes left to play, Slippery Rock rocked the MU goalcage scoring three goals in one minute and 38 seconds bringing them within one. The Marauders battled to keep the win putting two goals away to ensure the win.
With three weeks left to go in the season, the race for playoff seeds is heating up. The Marauders are finding that every game counts if they want to see postseason play.
“The PSAC is very challenging this year. Pretty much any team has a run at playoffs. Our team needs to go into every game with the same mentality and intensity that we would have if we were playing the number one team in the country,” Weekly said. “This team is one of the most talented teams I have played with throughout my whole career and I know that we can make it to the playoffs.”