Freshman midfielder Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.) was named National Rookie of the Week by WomensLax.com after a standout game against No. 19 Johns Hopkins on Saturday. A three-time ALC Rookie of the Week selection, Barry is the fourth Gator this season to earn national weekly honors and the first to get the nod from WomensLax.com. Teammate Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) is the only other Gator to earn this national honor, doing so twice in 2010. Additionally, Barry was named to the SynapseSports.com National Weekly Honor Roll. She is the third Gator this season to garner this honor.
Barry recorded three goals, a ground ball, a draw control and a caused turnover to push the Gators past No. 19 Johns Hopkins, 13-12, in double overtime on Saturday. The Marcellus, N.Y., native scored a goal in the first half, then gave the Gators their biggest lead of the afternoon, 9-5, with a free-position goal midway through the second. However, her biggest moment of the game came 66 minutes and 58 seconds in, when she was awarded the ball on free position in double overtime. The freshman kept her cool and scored her team-leading fourth game-winning goal of the season, to hand the Gators their first-ever overtime victory.
The Gator freshman has been turning heads all season, ever since scoring five goals in Florida’s home opener against Jacksonville on Feb. 15. She is currently tied for fourth on the team with 30 goals on the year, sits at 65th in the nation with a team-high 32 ground balls, and is third on the Gators with 32 draw controls. She has already received recognition around the country, most recently being named to the watch list for Rookie of the Year by Inside Lacrosse.
In addition to Rookie of the Week, Virginia Tech’s senior midfielder, Jessica Nonn, earned WomensLax.com Player of the Week honors after leading the unranked Virginia Tech Hokies to their first-ever victory over the 7th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers in a momentous overtime upset. In Virginia Tech’s first overtime victory since 2009, Nonn contributed four goals, a ground ball and two draw controls. The senior’s most important goal came with 2:11 remaining in the overtime period, putting the Hokies up, 10-9. Virginia Tech won the ensuing draw control and spread the field to run out the clock, sealing perhaps the biggest win in program history. Nonn’s game winner marks the first-ever win for Virginia Tech over a top-10 opponent and the second-straight season the Hokies have defeated a ranked conference opponent – the last being a 12-11 win over the then-No. 16 Boston College.
In addition, Barry also earned her third ALC Rookie of the Week honors on Tuesday. Winning the award three times is a feat which a Gator has achieved just once before, as teammate Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) picked up the honor three times in 2010. She is one of five Gators to be honored by the ALC this season.
The Gators return to action on Saturday, when they host No. 17 Vanderbilt in the final home game of the regular season. The game will be broadcast statewide on Fox Sports Florida with opening draw scheduled for noon.
Courtesy UF Communications