October 8, 2008

FARMVILLE, Va. - Longwood University field hockey player Erin West/Stafford (North Stafford) became the fourth member of the Lancers' to earn NorPac weekly honors, after being named the NorPac Defensive Player of the Week on October 7. West becomes the second member of the Lancers' to earn defensive honors, after teammate Kelsey Turner/Virginia Beach (Tallwood) earned the honor two weeks ago. Longwood returns to the field on October 14, playing host to VCU at the Athletics Complex at 1 p.m.

West turned in the top NCAA performance of the season so far, making 25 saves in a tough penalty stroke defeat at Radford. She allowed just one Highlander goal in regulation and also made three more saves in the shootout. Earlier in the week against then No. 1 Wake Forest, West held her own making nine saves bringing her two-game total for the week to 34.
   
So far this season West has made an astounding 82 saves, giving her a saves percentage of .739. West has been a key reason in the Lancers' successes this season, helping anchor a strong defensive line that only allows two goals a game on average.
  
“I'm extremely happy for Erin,” head coach Iain Byers said. “She deserves the recognition she is receiving. She has been solid in the back all season and just continues to get better. What makes this even more special is the way that she and the backline have been working together. Both sides realize that they can't be successful without the other and they are working hard for one another.”