Smith, Witczak & Ceraso Claim Weekly Awards
MAAC Sports
Offensive Player of the Week
Alexa Smith, Monmouth
Jr., A, Westhampton Beach, NY/Westhampton
Smith tallied a team-high 10 points in two wins for the Hawks last week. The junior tied a career-high with six goals in a win over Siena, also registering a career-high nine points in the contest that locked up a MAAC Tournament bid for the Blue & White. She scored five of her six goals in the second half as Monmouth built its lead over the Saints. On Wednesday she had one goal in Monmouth’s 9-7 win over Manhattan. Smith is second on the Hawks in goals with 29 and third on the team with points while recording a .742 shot on goal percentage. Her nine points on Saturday was tied for the fifth most in school history.
Defensive Player of the Week
Abigail Witczak, Marist
Sr., GK, Mendham, NJ/West Morris Mendham
Witczak entered this weekend leading the nation in saves and led Marist to two more road MAAC victories and a berth in this year’s championships. In a 9-7 victory at Niagara on April 19 she made 13 saves and held the Purple Eagles to 1-for-7 on free position attempts. She also scooped up five ground balls and caused a turnover. When the Red Foxes clinched a postseason spot with a 13-9 win at Iona on April 22, she made 14 saves to earn her 38th career victory. This week, she compiled an 8.00 goals against average and a .628 save percentage.
Rookie of the Week
Nicole Ceraso, Monmouth
Fr., A, Massapequa, NY/Plainedge
Ceraso had her best conference outing on Saturday against Siena, helping the Hawks win a game that would earn a bid to the upcoming MAAC Tournament. The freshman attacker tallied nine points on the weekend, including six against the Saints on Saturday. In that contest, Ceraso had six points, including four assists and put three of her four shots on goal. On Wednesday she had three points on a goal and two assists in Monmouth’s 9-7 win over Manhattan. Ceraso now has 30 assists on the season, which is tied for sixth most in a single season in school history. She is also fourth in the league in assists (the top freshman).