Vittese, Lucas Named the ACC Players of the Week

Sept. 11, 2017

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia field hockey senior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week and redshirt junior goalkeeper Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) was named the co-Defensive Player of the Week in honors announced by the Atlantic Coast Conference on Tuesday (Sept. 11).

Vittese continued her offensive tear this weekend, scoring a pair of goals in each of the Cavaliers’ victories to earn her second straight ACC Player of the Week honor. Last week’s Longstreth/NFHCA National Player of the Week netted a pair of goals in Friday’s victory over top-ranked Duke, scoring the first goal of the game, and the first goal scored on the Blue Devils this season. Vittese also added a late insurance goal in the Duke game. In Sunday’s game against Michigan State, Vittese was a key element of the Cavaliers’ nearly non-stop offensive pressure. The senior midfielder fired off 16 shots, scoring a pair of goals, as the Cavaliers outshot the Spartans 50-7. On the season, Vittese has tallied 16 goals, seven more than any other player in the country.

Lucas’ defensive efforts in the net were a key in Virginia’s 4-1 victory over top-ranked Duke. The Cavaliers’ goalkeeper made eight saves in the game against the Blue Devils. It marked just the second time in program history that Virginia was able to defeat the top-ranked team in the country and the first time since edging No. 1 Maryland in 2001, 3-2, in penalty shots. Lucas also picked up the win on Sunday, a 6-1 victory over Michigan State.

This is sixth time in her career that Vittese has been named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week and Lucas’ second time being named the co-Defensive Player of the Week.

Syracuse’s Roos Weers shared the Defensive Player of the Week honors with Lucas. Weers led the Orange defense in two wins against ranked opponents over the weekend, holding No. 8 Boston College and No. 21 Albany to a combined three shots on cage, and also scored twice in Sunday’s win over the Great Danes. The junior center back from Bussum, Netherlands, has headlined an Orange defense that has the nation’s longest active shutout streak at seven games, which broke the program record on Sunday. Teams have failed to put a shot on net in four of the seven shutouts.