Acker and Wilkey Nab PEARL Honors

Photos courtesy of Florida Atlantic Lacrosse and Alex Ray

ATLANTA- Florida Atlantic sophomore Alexander Acker and Brigham Young junior Easton Wilkey backstopped their teams to victories over the weekend and have been named MCLA PEARL Goalies of the Week for their efforts.

Acker stood tall in net for the Owls as they defeated SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) South opponents Miami on Saturday.  The Ann Arbor, MI native totaled 17 saves to only ten goals allowed in the back and forth contest.  The win puts the Owls in prime position to make the SELC playoffs. 

Florida Atlantic head coach Stavros Neocleous said, “Alex has been a fantastic goalie all season. He has been at his best and it shows in his stats. As a sophomore Alex has shown tremendous poise and great leadership ability for someone his age. Alex has already shown growth from his freshman All American campaign both as a player and leader. 

The Miami game was another great example of what an impact player Acker is for us, coming up with several huge saves in the last 3 minutes as well as several doorstop saves throughout the game. We are very proud of his play and very happy to have a player of such caliber.”

Wilkey lead the Cougars on their trip to Knoxville, TN to play Auburn, Liberty, and Tennessee.  The Orem, UT native racked up 41 saves while allowing only 23 goals across the three games as the Cougars picked up three wins in the Rocky Top Round Robin event. 

Brigham Young head coach Matt Schneck when asked about Wilkey said, “Easton Wilkey is the heart of our defense.  He works hard on and off the field and leads his teammates in a way that every coach hopes for: Grit, Positivity and Example.   He is a 4.0 student in the classroom and an All-American on the field.  Easton has started for us since he was a freshman and has incredibly lost only three games in the past 3 years.  I am excited for Easton to be honored with the PEARL Goalie of the Week.”

In recognition of their performances Acker and Wilkey will receive PEARL swag bags including PEARL  balls- the official ball of the MCLA.

PEARL Honor Roll

Division I

Eli Goth, Colorado State – The Freshman made 32 saves across two games  in his first two career starts.

Riley Corcoran,  Sonoma State -  Totaled 21 saves and only eight goals allowed in the Sea Wolves’ win over Oregon. 

Colson Miller, Auburn – In the Rocky Top Round Robin Miller made 40 Saves through three games

Ralph Arribas IV, Jacksonville-  The Dolphin netminder made 19 saves against Georgia Tech

Connor Keenan, South Carolina – The rookie made 15 saves  for the Gamecocks in their SELC North sealing win over Georgia

Division II

Luke Barnett, UNC-Wilmington -Made 26 saves while allowing seven goals across two games for the Sea Hawks.