George Mason University Athletics

Lacrosse Opens A-10 Play with Win over Rival George Washington

Spalding, Benedetto Receive Weekly Honors From Atlantic 10

George Mason Athletics Women's Lacrosse 4/26/2016 8:47:00 AM

FAIRFAX, Va. – Over the weekend, Jacquelyn Spalding and Elizabeth Benedetto spearheaded the attack and defense of the George Mason women's lacrosse team's sweep of St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph's.

On Monday, both were honored for their efforts in a pair of Patriot victories. Spalding was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Co-Player of the Week and Benedetto was tabbed the Rookie of the Week. It marks the second time this season that each player has been honored by the league.

Spalding, a junior from Riva, Md., had eight goals, six assists, five caused turnovers and three ground balls over the weekend. In a 16-7 victory over St. Joe's on Sunday, she tied a school record with nine points, scoring a career-high six goals and dishing out three assists.

She also had two goals, three assists and had a career-high four caused turnovers in a 17-10 victory over St. Bonaventure on Friday. Spalding leads the team with 51 points and 35 goals. She is tied for eighth in the league with 2.33 goals per game.

Benedetto, a freshman from Fairfax, made 18 saves and posted an impressive save percentage of .562 in two games. She made 11 saves for a .524 save percentage in a 17-10 victory over St. Bonaventure on Friday. It marked the third time this season she has made 11 saves or more.

On Sunday, she had seven saves in a 16-7 victory over Saint Joseph's. She shut out the Hawks in the first half as the Patriots led 10-0 at halftime. She allowed just four goals in 53 minutes for a .562 save percentage. For the year, she has allowed just 7.67 goals a game and has a save percentage of .506 while making 80 saves – ranking in the top five in the A-10 in all three categories.

The Patriots (11-4, 6-2 A-10) close out the regular season at 2 p.m. on Saturday as they welcome in VCU on Senior Day.

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