Top Individual Performances (Week 8 WLAX)

0 Comment April 5, 2021

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 she 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 to 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?
A quick note: whenever you see the PRO logo () a click will take you directly to the player’s PRO page. In some cases, you’ll see the “unlocked” PRO logo () which tells you that the player’s team is unlocked and you’ll be able to see all the PRO content.
Top Single Game Scores of the week
#1 – Natalie Karlen (Central Michigan) – 10.26 goals added Apr 1 vs Kent State Opp ELO: 964 Karlen’s game against Kent State was a rare game that earned more than 10 EGA. A 13-point outing will do that. Her 55.6% shooting mark was more or less equaled by her teammates. The CMU mark of 58.3% for the day was their best shooting performance of the season. That has been a theme of Karlen’s season so far. She is shooting 49.3% on the year, which is a career high. That, combine with a increased in attempts / game from 6.2 to 8.1, is why her EGA per game average is 4.56 this year. That is, of course, also a career high. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 95th Total EGA 98th Offensive EGA 98th Excess Goals 5th eGoals/Shot 65th Shooting Percentage 61st Shot-on-Goal Rate 46th Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 10 3 14 GBs Draw Controls SOG 1 0 12 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 2 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 95th Total EGA 98th Offensive EGA 98th Excess Goals 5th eGoals/Shot 65th Shooting Percentage 61st Shot-on-Goal Rate 46th Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions
#2 – Ally Kennedy (Stony Brook) – 8.78 goals added Apr 3 vs Vermont Opp ELO: 1536 Ally Kennedy has enjoyed conference play. The Seawolves took some lumps in their non-conference schedule, but since the loss to Syracuse, they’ve reeled off 7 straight wins. And in that stretch, Kennedy has had some of her best games, culminating in the 7 goal explosion against the Catamounts. It would be fair to say that she dominated this game. Her play share was 15.9% in this one, which is the highest usage rate she’s had since Mar 7 against Towson. Sometimes, you just have to let your star go and get out of the way. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 8th eGoals/Shot 72nd Shooting Percentage 72nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 61st Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 7 0 12 GBs Draw Controls SOG 1 6 9 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 2 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 8th eGoals/Shot 72nd Shooting Percentage 72nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 61st Play Shares 97th PRO Definitions
#3 – Elisabeth Ralph (Wofford) – 7.94 goals added Mar 31 vs Presbyterian Opp ELO: 764 Talk about a change-of-fortune. On Feb 25, the Terriers lost to the Blue Hose by a score of 16-9. The offense put up an anemic 20% efficiency rating and for Elisabeth Ralph, it was not a day to remember. She scored 2 goals, but have 2 turnovers and ended with a 2.24 EGA stat line. Flip the calendar to March, and the story was a bit different. She gook 14 shots (season high) and canned 8 goals (season high) while committing zero turnovers. Best game of the year, by far, for Wofford. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 86th Total EGA 79th Offensive EGA 79th Excess Goals 88th eGoals/Shot 84th Shooting Percentage 81st Shot-on-Goal Rate 76th Play Shares 94th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 8 0 14 GBs Draw Controls SOG 0 3 13 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 0 1 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 86th Total EGA 79th Offensive EGA 79th Excess Goals 88th eGoals/Shot 84th Shooting Percentage 81st Shot-on-Goal Rate 76th Play Shares 94th PRO Definitions
#4 – Siena Gore (Kennesaw State) – 7.84 goals added Mar 30 vs Winthrop Opp ELO: 1268 The Owls have now played Winthrop to a tie this year. In 2 games, both teams have scored 23 goals. In this one, Winthrop got the better of Kennesaw State, in part by clamping own on the Owls offense. It was the first time since a loss to Florida that KSU scored fewer than 13 goals. Still, Gore had a big day, even if her teammates did not. She scored 10 goals on 6 shots, which actually slighted dropped her season shooting percentage to 62%. But I’m sure that when she looks back on this day, she’ll be focused on the 4 turnovers. A spot on the EGA list is no balm for a disappointing mark in the loss column. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 99th eGoals/Shot 89th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 51st Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 6 0 10 GBs Draw Controls SOG 5 5 8 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 4 1 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 99th eGoals/Shot 89th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 51st Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions
#5 – Charlotte North (Boston College) – 7.64 goals added Apr 3 vs Duke Opp ELO: 1810 That had to feel good. A tight victory over her former team. 6 goals on 9 shots. It’s been a difficult run for BC; their past 3 games have been against the 10th and 16th rated defenses nationally (on an opponent-adjusted basis). But they came out of it 3-0 and firmly cemented with Syracuse at the top of the 2nd tier of ACC teams. I continue to be impressed with North’s shot-making ability this year. Despite all the attention that opposing defenses are giving her, she’s managed a plus excess shooting mark and greatly improved on her 2020 shooting percentage. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 99th eGoals/Shot 87th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 57th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 6 0 9 GBs Draw Controls SOG 0 7 7 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 3 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 99th Excess Goals 99th eGoals/Shot 87th Shooting Percentage 87th Shot-on-Goal Rate 57th Play Shares 98th PRO Definitions
#6 – Casey Harkins (American) – 7.19 goals added Apr 3 vs Bucknell Opp ELO: 1234 In the 2 games before American played Bucknell, Harkins took 8 shots, put 5 on goal and ended up with 0 goals (although she did have 5 assists against Longwood). That is not to say that she played poorly, just that those were the stats. Then, against the Bison, she scored 5 goals on 7 shots and still found the time to ring up 6 helpers. Busy day. It’s been a hot-or-cold situation for Harkins so far this year. She has the aforementioned 2 games where she could get anything to go. In her other 3 games, she shot 83%, 75% and 71%. Go figure. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 88th Total EGA 93rd Offensive EGA 93rd Excess Goals 14th eGoals/Shot 59th Shooting Percentage 51st Shot-on-Goal Rate 57th Play Shares 88th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 5 6 7 GBs Draw Controls SOG 3 0 7 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 4 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 88th Total EGA 93rd Offensive EGA 93rd Excess Goals 14th eGoals/Shot 59th Shooting Percentage 51st Shot-on-Goal Rate 57th Play Shares 88th PRO Definitions
#7 – Juliana George (VCU) – 7.18 goals added Apr 1 vs George Mason Opp ELO: 1483 The game against Mason, was the season’s best effort for VCU. Their 44.9% efficiency mark was a season high, in part because they only turned it over on 18% of their possessions. George had 3 of those turnovers, but more than made up for it with 6 points, a 44% shooting mark and 3 ground balls. For the year, her shooting has been the main area of improvement. She shot just 25% in 2020; that mark in 2021 (so far): 43%. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 89th Total EGA 72nd Offensive EGA 75th Excess Goals 27th eGoals/Shot 49th Shooting Percentage 49th Shot-on-Goal Rate 42nd Play Shares 93rd PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 4 2 9 GBs Draw Controls SOG 3 8 9 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 3 0 0 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 89th Total EGA 72nd Offensive EGA 75th Excess Goals 27th eGoals/Shot 49th Shooting Percentage 49th Shot-on-Goal Rate 42nd Play Shares 93rd PRO Definitions
#8 – Jay Browne (Stanford) – 6.87 goals added Mar 31 vs Fresno State Opp ELO: 1318 Browne is another one of those young players whose game has shown a lot of maturity in the COVID season. Since last year, her turnover rate has nearly halved and she’s averaging nearly 2 full assists more than last year. Her play share is up, while her shots/gm is down, which indicates that she’s settling into a facilitator role within this offense. And against Fresno, that was on full display. The 7 assists was a season high. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 93rd Total EGA 72nd Offensive EGA 75th Excess Goals 72nd eGoals/Shot 82nd Shooting Percentage 85th Shot-on-Goal Rate 82nd Play Shares 91st PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 2 7 3 GBs Draw Controls SOG 6 0 3 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 2 0 2 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 93rd Total EGA 72nd Offensive EGA 75th Excess Goals 72nd eGoals/Shot 82nd Shooting Percentage 85th Shot-on-Goal Rate 82nd Play Shares 91st PRO Definitions
#9 – Karson Harris (Drexel) – 6.19 goals added Apr 3 vs Hofstra Opp ELO: 1637 Karson Harris (and all the Dragons, really) for the win! The Hofstra game was a lopsided victory for the Drexel squad and an extremely efficient one for Harris. She only took 6 shots, but 5 were on goal and 4 were in the back of the net. She’s been shooting great all season, but the distinguishing thing about this performance is how she was able to create her own offense. Assisted goals are great, but sometimes, you just need a player to take the bull by the horns and make things happen. She did that in this one. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 97th Excess Goals 48th eGoals/Shot 83rd Shooting Percentage 83rd Shot-on-Goal Rate 68th Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 4 1 6 GBs Draw Controls SOG 2 4 5 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 1 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 99th Total EGA 99th Offensive EGA 97th Excess Goals 48th eGoals/Shot 83rd Shooting Percentage 83rd Shot-on-Goal Rate 68th Play Shares 99th PRO Definitions
#10 – Sadie Grozier (Colorado) – 6.16 goals added Apr 2 vs USC Opp ELO: 1991 Grozier keyed the offense for the Buffs in a nice win over the Trojans. Her 5 goals matched her season high (SDSU on Pi Day) and she added an assist and a GB. Perhaps most importantly, she kept her stat line clean with no turnovers. That has been the big trend for Grozier over her career. Here is her individual turnover rate by year: ’18: 1.02 ’19: 0.72 ’20: 0.59 ’21: 0.46 It’s amazing what having your top usage players be secure with the ball does for an offense. Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 87th Total EGA 93rd Offensive EGA 95th Excess Goals 1st eGoals/Shot 43rd Shooting Percentage 42nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 72nd Play Shares 91st PRO Definitions Box Score Stats Goals Assists Shots 5 1 8 GBs Draw Controls SOG 1 0 8 Turnovers Penalties Caused TO 0 0 1 Career Stat Percentile EGA/game 87th Total EGA 93rd Offensive EGA 95th Excess Goals 1st eGoals/Shot 43rd Shooting Percentage 42nd Shot-on-Goal Rate 72nd Play Shares 91st PRO Definitions