April 19, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State senior attacker Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) and freshman attacker Hayley Sofarnos (Williamstown, Australia) have been honored with weekly awards by the American Lacrosse Conference for their standout performances in an 18-12 key conference win over Ohio State last weekend in Columbus.
Mihm was named ALC Offensive Player of the Week while Sofarnos was honored as ALC Rookie of the Week. For Mihm, the award is the first of her career and the second this season by a Nittany Lion after Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) won on Feb. 23. The 2009 Second Team All-ALC selection was also recognized nationally on the womenslacrosse.com honor roll. Sofarnos' honor is also the first of her career, giving Penn State four rookie awards this season after fellow freshman Molly Fernandez (Baltimore, Md.) previously received it three times.
Mihm was instrumental in helping Penn State gain its first ALC win of the season and its fourth straight victory over Ohio State. In addition to scoring three goals, including the game winner, and tallying an assist, Mihm kept the Nittany Lions in possession of the ball with a game-high eight draw controls. After she won draws, Penn State scored on six of eight possessions, including three straight in the second half, sparking the Lions to the come-from-behind victory. Mihm leads the team in draw controls with 37 and had totaled 18 goals and three assists this season.
Freshman attacker Hayley Sofarnos had the best day of her young career versus the Buckeyes, coming off the bench to dish out a team single-game season-high five assists. Feeding four different players throughout the game, she assisted on goals that helped erase an early 3-0 deficit and also on Erica Mihm's game winner in the second half. Sofarnos also added one ground ball and one draw control. Seeing her playing increase time as the season has progressed, Sofarnos ranks second on the team with 12 assists and is tied for fifth in points with 22.
The Nittany Lions close out conference play this weekend when it faces Johns Hopkins in a pivotal ALC showdown on Sun., April 25 at 1 p.m. at Jeffrey Field.