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?
Click on any player’s name or the PRO logo () and you’ll head straight to the detailed breakdown on their LacrosseReference PRO page. As opposed to last year, all players appearing in the weekly rundown are unlocked and the information on their page is available to all readers.
This is also the only time I’ve ever had a player with the top-two spots in the weekly EGA list. Again, Longwood is not a good defense. But you can only play the hand you’ve been dealt. Plenty of players have had consecutive games against defenses ranked in the hundreds. None of them put up the stat line that Hormes has.
McNeely’s game against Manhattan has the distinction of being her highest EGA game of the season AND her highest efficiency game of the season.
It’s impressive how her assist rate has jumped as the season has progressed. Over her last 4 games, she’s averaging 3.5 assists/gm compared to 2.2 for the season. She and Grace Dobrzynski have made quite the dynamic duo; together, they’ve accounted for 68% of the Saints’ assists.
#4 – Siena Gore (Kennesaw State) – 8.70 goals added
Apr 16 vs Delaware State Opp ELO: 286
Six goals for Gore is the headline, but the assist is representative of the more interesting trend in her game. Despite all the goals, her shooting percentage is down a bit from last year. But in terms of value, her ability to create assists has more than offset it.
After accounting for the strength of the Hofstra defense, the 47% offensive efficiency is the best offensive performance for the Dragons all season and it’s not particularly close.
In 5 years at Louisville, Blaylock has steadily improved her shooting. Her game against Niagara was indicative of that trend. It was her sixth game of the year with a shooting percentage of at least 60%.
To put that in perspective, I give every player a 0-100 rating (like a Madden rating) on every dimension of their game. Her shooting ratings have gone: 10 in 2019, 18 in 2020, 36 in 2021, and 68 this year.
The Spiders are another team peaking at the right time. Davidson is the 5th best defense Richmond has faced this year. And they put up their 4th best raw offensive efficiency of the season.
Frank has been the primary finisher for the team this year; she’s taken a team-high 16% of the team’s shots. Arden TIERNEY is a perfect complement; she’s got the team-lead in assists. Together, they’ve got the Richmond offense ranked 25th nationally in terms of opponent-adjusted offensive efficiency.
Vasile’s individual player efficiency is in the 94th percentile nationally. Her best rating is her assist rate, which measures the number of assists she creates on a per-touch basis.
Interestingly, she’s averaging 7.50 shots per game this year, but 9.67 over her past 3 games. Long-time readers will know how appreciative I am of players that can do multiple things well, and she is definitely doing that.
I hope we get to see another year of Foust in 2023. This is the kind of player that could be really special. Her game against Butler and her subsequent game against Notre Dame show the hurdle for her. Against Butler, she shot six of eight and added three assists. Against Notre Dame, she still had two assists, but scored just two goals on eight shots.
Foust’s ball security and assist numbers are all 75% percentile are higher. Her shooting numbers this year, put her in just the 24th percentile.
But her shooting rating in 2020 was an 81; she’s shown she can be a strong shooter. If she can get the shooting touch back while keeping her distributor scores high, you are looking at an All-Conference sort of resume.
The Seawolves defense is ranked #1 on an opponent-adjusted basis. Their offense, led by Masera is right up there with the top teams in the country. Don’t be surprised if you see Coach Spallina’s bunch playing through Memorial Day weekend.
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) and you’ll head straight to the detailed breakdown on their LacrosseReference PRO page. As opposed to last year, all players appearing in the weekly rundown are unlocked and the information on their page is available to all readers.
