Heuser, Primus and Van Rijswijk Lead No. 12 UAlbany to Sweep of America East Weekly Awards
CAMBRIDGE, MASS.- UAlbany field hockey (12-2, 2-0 AE) swept league awards this week, with Paula Heuser earning Rookie of the Week honors, goalkeeper Maxi Primus taking Defensive Player of the Week and sophomore Fiori Van Rijswijk was named Player of the Week. The Great Danes beat Vermont 8-0 and Columbia 6-0 this past weekend.
Heuser earned her fourth Rookie of the Week award this season after scoring three goals and tallying one assist against Vermont on Saturday. The freshman is three goals away from become the program’s top Division I single-season rookie scorer. She has scored 12 goals this season, including four in league play to lead the America East. She has now tied the America East record with four weekly rookie awards, matching Boston University’s Valentina Cerda in 2011.
Primus was named Defensive Player of the Week for the second time this season after posting two shutouts. The freshman has recorded a goals against average of just 1.07 this season. She has allowed 10 goals in 14 games. She needs three more wins in the cage to become the Division I single-season goalkeeper wins leader at UAlbany. Primus has already posted a Division I program single-season record seven shutouts this season.
Van Rijswijk earned her first America East weekly award after tallying two goals, one assist and one defensive save. The sophomore tallied two goals against Columbia and an assist in the win over Vermont. Van Rijswijk also helped the Great Danes preserve a shutout win over the Catamounts, stopping a Vermont penalty corner on the goal line in the second half.
UAlbany leads the America East in scoring average (4.57), goals against average (0.79), assists per game (3.43) and penalty corners per game (8.71).
The Great Danes lead the America East standings at 2-0 with three league games remaining. UAlbany hosts New Hampshire in a crucial America East contest on Friday, Oct. 18 at 3 p.m.
