The Tewaaraton Award ceremony is Thursday night in Washington, D.C. All five women’s finalists played deep into May, well after the list was whittled down May 9.
All five, in fact, were still in play Memorial Day weekend.
How did Sam Apuzzo (Boston College), Dempsey Arsenault (Boston College), Jen Giles (Maryland), Selena Lasota (Northwestern) and Megan Taylor (Megan) help their cause? Here’s a look at their postseason performances.
Sam Apuzzo
Boston College
The reigning Tewaaraton Award winner started the NCAA tournament on fire, scoring seven goals and reeling in 13 draw controls in a second-round win over Colorado and following that with four and 14, respectively, in the quarterfinals against Princeton. Both North Carolina and Maryland limited Apuzzo’s looks during championship weekend, but she showed her penchant for clutch goals by scoring in double overtime in the semifinals against the Tar Heels — a game being billed as one of the best in women’s lacrosse history. Apuzzo finished the season with 94 goals, 30 assists and 191 draw controls. She ended her career ranked fourth and seventh in NCAA Division I history with 278 goals and 390 points, respectively.
Dempsey Arsenault
Boston College
Arsenault’s stats don’t stand out like Apuzzo’s, but the eye test told you she was one of the best players on the field during the final four — playing hard-nosed defense, swooping in for important ground balls, contributing on the draw and scoring timely goals. She scored three goals each in the Eagles’ wins over Princeton and Colorado and racked up 16 draw controls over the four games, reaching the century mark in the latter category. Arsenault’s final stats: 65 goals, 27 assists, 44 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers and an even 100 draw controls.
Jen Giles
Maryland
Giles didn’t necessarily pile up the points during the Terps’ torrid run to the national title. Erica Evans, Brindi Griffin and Caroline Steele were bigger factors in the offense. But Giles sense of timing was impeccable, scoring Maryland’s only two goals in the final 20 minutes, which wound up representing the margin in a 12-10 victory over Boston College. Giles’ 82 points (59 goals, 23 assists) were a team high.
Selena Lasota
Northwestern
Lasota earns major points for leading a once-perennial final four contender back to the promised land. She scored five goals in a second-round win over Notre Dame, had three goals and two assists in a quarterfinal win over Syracuse and then bowed out with a three-goal showing in the semifinal loss to Maryland. Lasota surpassed the 100-point mark for the first time in her decorated career, finishing with 85 goals and 19 assists. Her 276 career goals rank fifth in NCAA Division I history.
Megan Taylor
Maryland
Taylor turned heads all season with spectacular saves and standout performances. Only the second goalie ever to be named a Tewaaraton finalist, Taylor was named most outstanding player of the NCAA championship after making 14 saves against Northwestern in the semifinals and then backstopping a stifling defensive effort with 10 saves against Boston College in the final. Taylor finished the season with a save percentage of 55.1. For much of the season, she was hovering at or about 60 percent, a threshold not reached by any qualifying Division I goalie since 2001.