Welcome back, Courtney Murphy.
After tearing her ACL on March 5, 2017, the season after setting the NCAA Division I women’s lacrosse single-season record with 100 goals, Murphy picked up right where she left off.
Returning as a redshirt senior, she led No. 2 Stony Brook to a season-opening 14-10 win over USC in California with a team-high eight points on four goals and four assists. Her well-balanced effort earned her Brine/US Lacrosse Player of the Week honors.
“I'm so happy for Murph,” Seawolves coach Joe Spallina said. “She's worked so hard to get back on the field, and to have this type of day in the opener is incredible. USC paid a ton of attention to Kylie [Ohlmiller], and Murph did a great job stepping up for us tonight.”
It was fitting that Murphy scored the first – and second – goals for the Seawolves in her return to the field, assisted by fellow 100-point scorers from previous seasons, Kylie and Taryn Ohlmiller, respectively, to jump to a quick 2-0 lead five minutes in. All four of her goals came in the first half.
Murphy then returned the favor to the Ohlmiller sisters, assisting Taryn on the final two goals of the first half and Kylie on the opening goal of the second half. She assisted Taryn one more time to go up by six at the 14:58 mark.
With goals last night vs. USC, Courtney Murphy needs just 40 more scores to break the #NCAALAX Division I career record. pic.twitter.com/uvG87pJrnf
— Stony Brook WLAX (@StonyBrookWLAX) February 17, 2018