| Each week, we will look back at the games that were to see which players had the largest individual performances. I say largest because the contributions that we can measure (from play by play) tend to be things that are easy to count. This includes, goals, shots, assists, turnovers, penalties, etc. We can’t measure a defender who shuts down an opposing player so completely that he doesn’t even touch the ball. Still, it is interesting to be able to identify the players that really filled it up each weekend and give them a shout out here. |
| For a bit of background, in order to rank single game performances, we needed a way to condense box score stats into a single number for each player. In order to do this, we relied on our expected goal values methodology, which assigns a goal value to each type of play depending on how often it leads to a goal in the next 60 seconds. By adding up all the expected goals added for each player, we can get to that single number and these rankings. |
| We have also tagged each performance with the opponent’s ELO rating. The higher the number, the stronger the opponent. This should help to give some context for each performance. Did the player feast on the dregs of D1 or did they put up these numbers against a quality opponent? |
Top Single Game Scores of the week
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#1 – Brandon Galloway (UMBC) – 7.10 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Lafayette Opp ELO: 1300 |
| Brandon Galloway has not been the primary face-off guy for the Retrievers all season. Perhaps they should think about making him permanent. This game represented the high-watermark for him in terms of just being on the field. He had 22.8% of UMBC’s recorded plays in this one, compared to 4.8% and 7.0% in the team’s previous two games. But given the shot, he made it count, winning 20 faceoffs as part of UMBC winning 83% of the draws. This was the first time that he has led the team in EGA (he came in 2nd against Richmond in the opener). |
| 1 |
0 |
2 (1) |
| 16 |
20 |
86% |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
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#2 – Tye Kurtz (Delaware) – 7.05 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Fairfield Opp ELO: 1320 |
| The Blue Hens had the ball flying all over the yard on Saturday. Mr. Kurtz was both a cause of and beneficiary of it. He posted 10 total points, pretty evenly split between 2 unassisted goals, 5 assisted goals, and 3 assists. Talk about well rounded. It was the second time this year that he’s led the team in EGA. (The first was against Saint Joe’s.) And in part, that is due to the fact that he has not been the primary option most of the time. This is just the second time this year that he’s recorded more than 10% of the team’s recorded stat-sheet plays. Granted, it’s not like “GET HIM MORE TOUCHES” or anything, but still, it’s good to see a guy having a memorable afternoon. |
| 7 |
3 |
10 (10) |
| 5 |
0 |
N/A |
| 1 |
0 |
0 |
|
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#3 – Kevin Lindley (Loyola MD) – 6.28 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Colgate Opp ELO: 1480 |
| With all the attention paid to Pat Spencer, it would be easy to overlook the role that Kevin Lindley has played in keeping the Greyhounds offense rolling. And in part that is because of how much of his production comes as a result of the defensive attention paid to his teammate. In this one for example, he scored 7 of his 8 goals off an assist. But still, Lindley is having a monster year. He’s the 30th ranked offensive player by total EGA, despite using less of the Greyhounds possessions than both Scanlan and Spencer. That efficiency is worth celebrating in its own right. |
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#4 – Trent Harper (Air Force) – 6.12 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Jacksonville Opp ELO: 1395 |
| Air Force is really making themselves heard in the SoCon. And Harper was a big part of the win over Jacksonville, picking up 20 faceoff wins and 10 ground balls. The shot clock rules have undoubtedly reduced the importance of winning faceoffs. More possessions means that each possession is less valuable. That said, it’s hard to win a game when you start off with an 18-possession disadvantage. And that is just what Trent Harper did to the Dolphins. Nice rebound after the, shall we say, difficult assignment of going up against TD Ierlan and Yale. I would be curious where this falls in the record books as far as the FO win percentage gap between 2 games. Against Yale, Air Force lost 20 of 23 face offs (13%). They won 87% against Jacksonville. This game was more on trend for Harper to be honest. Outside of Yale and Denver, the Falcons has been 50% or better in every game this year. |
| 1 |
0 |
3 (2) |
| 10 |
20 |
86% |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
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#5 – Tom Haun (Stony Brook) – 6.11 goals added
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| Mar 29 vs Binghamton Opp ELO: 1221 |
| He paced the team with 7 total points (6 goals; 1 assist) in a game that Stony Brook won 13 – 6 over Binghamton. He also threw in 1 ground ball for good measure. Now, the obligatory dose of reality: Binghamton was the #-48 weakest opponent on this list. Factor that in. |
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#6 – Brendan Nichtern (Army) – 6.10 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Bucknell Opp ELO: 1462 |
| In this one, he scored 4 goals and added 4 assists in a game that Army won 15 – 13 over Bucknell. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 2 ground balls. Now, the obligatory dose of reality: Bucknell was the #-22 weakest opponent on this list. Factor that in. |
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#7 – Pat Spencer (Loyola MD) – 5.86 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Colgate Opp ELO: 1480 |
| He paced the team with 10 total points (2 goals; 8 assists) against Colgate in a game that Loyola MD won 21 – 7. He also threw in 1 ground ball for good measure. Repeat this against a team stronger than Colgate, and he’ll really get people talking. |
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#8 – Matthew Pedicine (Hobart) – 5.76 goals added
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| Mar 27 vs St. Bonaventure Opp ELO: 1328 |
| Vintage FOGO day here. in a game that Hobart won 18 – 8 over St. Bonaventure. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 16 ground balls and 18 faceoff wins. And zero turnovers! Coach has to love that. Now, the obligatory dose of reality: St. Bonaventure was the #-39 weakest opponent on this list. Factor that in. |
| 0 |
0 |
1 (0) |
| 16 |
18 |
85% |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
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#9 – Jarett Witzal (Bucknell) – 5.38 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Army Opp ELO: 1626 |
| Vintage FOGO day here. in a game that Bucknell lost 15 – 13 to Army. Add in 14 ground balls and 20 faceoff wins and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. |
| 0 |
0 |
0 (0) |
| 14 |
20 |
64% |
| 1 |
0 |
0 |
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#10 – Marc O’Rourke (Bryant) – 5.37 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Wagner Opp ELO: 1258 |
| In this one, he scored 3 goals and added 2 assists in a game that Bryant won 13 – 4 over Wagner. He also threw in 3 ground balls for good measure. Now, the obligatory dose of reality: Wagner was the #-48 weakest opponent on this list. Factor that in. |
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#11 – Tom Smith (Bucknell) – 5.37 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Army Opp ELO: 1626 |
| He paced the team with 7 total points (4 goals; 3 assists) against Army, in a game that Bucknell lost 15 – 13. Add in 2 ground balls and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. |
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#12 – Josh Jordan (UMBC) – 5.34 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Lafayette Opp ELO: 1300 |
| I’m sure he’s very generous most days, but on this day, he tallied 5 goals without an assist in a game that UMBC won 19 – 8 over Lafayette. Scoring is how you win the game, so despite the lack of other contributions, here we are. Given the importance of possession, he’s probably most proud that he had as many turnovers in the game as you did. Repeat this against a team stronger than Lafayette, and he’ll really get people talking. |
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#13 – Michael Sowers (Princeton) – 5.34 goals added
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| Mar 26 vs Denver Opp ELO: 1722 |
| On the day, he tallied 3 goals and 3 assists against Denver, in a game that Princeton won 14 – 13. He also threw in 3 ground balls for good measure. |
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#14 – Petey LaSalla (Virginia) – 5.31 goals added
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| Mar 29 vs Richmond Opp ELO: 1615 |
| One of the few players to make this list without scoring any goals, he did drive the offense, chipping in 1 assist against Richmond, in a game that Virginia won 16 – 7. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 12 ground balls and 16 faceoff wins. But perhaps the most impressive thing was accomplishing all of that while committing exactly zero turnovers. Not to diminish this game too much, but with an opponent ELO rating of 1615, it’s not as if this performance came against a world-beater. |
| 0 |
1 |
2 (1) |
| 12 |
16 |
76% |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
|
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#15 – Sean Eccles (Albany) – 5.30 goals added
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| Mar 27 vs Harvard Opp ELO: 1585 |
| In this one, he scored 5 goals and added 1 assist against Harvard in a game that Albany lost 13 – 12. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 1 ground ball. Not to diminish this game too much, but with an opponent ELO rating of 1585, it’s not as if this performance came against a world-beater. |
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#16 – TD Ierlan (Yale) – 5.24 goals added
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| Mar 26 vs Air Force Opp ELO: 1640 |
| Vintage FOGO day here. against Air Force, in a game that Yale won 13 – 6. He also threw in 12 ground balls and 19 faceoff wins for good measure. And zero turnovers! Coach has to love that. |
| 0 |
0 |
1 (0) |
| 12 |
19 |
90% |
| 0 |
0 |
0 |
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#17 – Chris Gray (Boston U) – 5.17 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Lehigh Opp ELO: 1691 |
| On the day, he tallied 3 goals and 2 assists against Lehigh in a game that Boston U lost 10 – 8. Add in 3 ground balls and you’ve got a pretty full stat sheet. No trillion-club here. |
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#18 – Austin French (Denver) – 5.13 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Georgetown Opp ELO: 1679 |
| On the day, he tallied 4 goals and 2 assists against Georgetown in a game that Denver won 16 – 9. He also threw in 3 ground balls for good measure. And zero turnovers! Coach has to love that. |
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#19 – Zach Cole (Saint Joseph’s) – 5.09 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Robert Morris Opp ELO: 1488 |
| Vintage FOGO day here. against Robert Morris in a game that Saint Joseph’s lost 15 – 9. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 14 ground balls and 20 faceoff wins. Repeat this against a team stronger than Robert Morris, and he’ll really get people talking. |
| 0 |
0 |
1 (1) |
| 14 |
20 |
74% |
| 1 |
1 |
0 |
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#20 – Brett Boos (Denver) – 4.90 goals added
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| Mar 30 vs Georgetown Opp ELO: 1679 |
| One of the few players to make this list without scoring any goals, he did drive the offense, chipping in 2 assists against Georgetown, in a game that Denver won 16 – 9. As if that wasn’t enough, don’t forget the 7 ground balls and 17 faceoff wins. Given the importance of possession, he’s probably most proud that he had as many turnovers in the game as you did. |
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