BOSTON, Mass. – The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) has announced its weekly awards and Mount Holyoke College student-athlete Liz DiCesare was recognized. The junior goalkeeper was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Week after leading the Lyons to a huge win over a nationally-ranked opponent last week.
A native of Westford, Mass., DiCesare posted five saves to lead the Lyons to a 1-0 victory over ninth-ranked Babson on Saturday. The win – which was the first conference loss of the season for the Beavers – saw the junior keeper make her most critical stop at the end of the game. Earning a penalty corner with no time remaining, DiCesare was able to make a great kick save to seal the victory.
DiCesare, who has started all 13 games for the Lyons this season, owns an 8-5 overall record. She is 3-2 in the NEWMAC and has a 1.21 goals against average to go along with a .842 save percentage. In 870:00 minutes of action, DiCesare has made 80 saves, allowed just 15 goals and has recorded five shutouts.
Among the NEWMAC leaders, DiCesare leads the conference in both saves and shutouts. She ranks second in save percentage, third in wins and minutes played, as well as fourth in goals against average.
The former Bishop Guertin High School standout was a Longstreth/NFHCA All-America Third Team selection in 2014, having started 20 games for the Lyons in her sophomore season. In addition to a 16-4 record, she posted a 1.16 goals against average with a .820 save percentage. DiCesare made 100 saves over 1329:10 minutes of action and also recorded four shutouts while leading the team to its second-straight NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance. She also ranked second in the NEWMAC in goals against average, save percentage and wins on her way to earning NEWMAC All-Conference First Team and All-Region First Team honors.
During her rookie season, DiCesare started all 21 games, owning an 18-3 record. She posted a 1.14 goals against average with a .841 save percentage. In addition to making 111 saves over 1289:53 minutes of action, she recorded one shutout with five combined shutouts. DiCesare also ranked first in the NEWMAC in wins and save percentage, while finishing second among conference's best in saves and GAA. For her efforts, she was named the NEWMAC Rookie of the Year and was an All-Conference Second Team honoree.
Mount Holyoke (8-5; 3-2 NEWMAC) opens a busy week of action beginning Tuesday as it hosts WPI at 7pm. The Lyons welcome Western New England on Thursday (7pm) and close out the week at with a critical conference game at MIT on Saturday (12pm).
Live stat and video links for this week's action can be found at http://athletics.mtholyoke.edu/sports/fh/2015-16/schedule.
