Lasell Women’s Soccer players earn GNAC Player of the Week honors

Lasell Women’s Soccer players earn GNAC Player of the Week honors

NEWTON, Mass. – Two starters on the Lasell College women's soccer team were recognized Monday with a top weekly honor from the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) for their strong performances in a pair of Laser victories last weeks.

Senior Carly Zdanek (Newton, N.J.) was named GNAC Women's Soccer Player of the Week, and freshman Angela Sanzari (North Haven, Conn.) was selected GNAC Women's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week. They were key players as Lasell began defense of its eighth straight GNAC Championship with conference victories over Colby-Sawyer College and Johnson & Wales University.

The reigning GNAC Player of the Year and Division III All-American, Zdanek posted four goals in the two Laser victories, including both game-winners. She scored Lasell's first and third goals in the 4-0 win over GNAC newcomer Colby-Sawyer, both in the first half, and tallied the second and fourth goals in the 4-1 triumph over Johnson & Wales, one in each half, in the rematch of last season's GNAC Championship game.

Zdanek, who tied for second in the GNAC with 17 goals in her All-America season a year ago, is tied for seventh in the conference in the early going this season with the four goals.

A rookie keeper, Sanzari allowed just one goal in 167 minutes of action in the two victories while making 10 saves. She had a clean sheet in 77 minutes with one save in Lasell's shutout victory over Colby-Sawyer, and she surrendered just one goal with nine saves in a complete-game triumph over Johnson & Wales. The lone goal against Sanzari came on a Wildcat penalty kick late in the first half.

Sanzari has posted a 2.36 goals against average and a .800 save percentage with one shutout in five outings this season. She is ranked sixth in the GNAC in save percentage and ranks second with 44 total saves.

The Lasers, 2-3 overall and 2-0 in the GNAC, play a pair of conference games this week, Wednesday at Anna Maria College (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday vs. Rivier University at Taylor Field (1:00 p.m.)

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