CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Mid-American Conference has announced its Week 1 Field Hockey Award Winners. Appalachian State senior midfielder Lise Boekaar earned Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Massachusetts junior back/defender Neva Eisenga garnered Defensive Player of the Week accolades. Fellow Minutewoman, senior Myrte van Herwijnen, was tabbed Goalkeeper of the Week to round out the first batch of weekly awards.
MAC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week
Lise Boekaar, Senior, Midfielder, Appalachian State
Groningen, The Netherlands
Senior Lise Boekaar had an exceptional weekend, scoring three goals and assisting on seven others. She was responsible for all 10 goals over both games, helping propel the team to their highest goal count in an opening game since 1981. This incredible showing moved her into a tie for second all-time in career assists for App State, while also matching her single-season assist record from last year in just the first weekend.
MAC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Neva Eisenga, Junior, Back/Defender, Massachusetts
Rotterdam, The Netherlands (Erasmiaans Gymnasium)
Junior Neva Eisenga impacted both sides of the field in a pair of shutout wins for the Minutewomen against Vermont and UMass Lowell. The Rotterdam, The Netherlands native notched a goal and an assist in the season opener vs. Vermont, with each tally coming off a pair of penalty corners. The back assisted the Minutewomen to a 3-0 shutout win against UMass Lowell defensively, while continuing to be a strong option on penalty corners, recording five shots with four on goal.
MAC Field Hockey Goalkeeper of the Week
Myrte van Herwijnen, Senior, Massachusetts
Huizen, The Netherlands (Laar & Berg)
Goalkeeper Myrte van Herwijnen started her senior campaign with a pair of shutouts against regional foes Vermont and UMass Lowell. The Massachusetts netminder faced just three shots between two games, but made a pair of crucial kick saves on consecutive defensive penalty corners to keep UMass Lowell off the scoreboard and preserve the 3-0 shutout win for the Minutewomen. A four year starter, van Herwijnen now owns 17 shutouts and 42 career wins in net.
