Arizona’s Fritts Earns PEARL Honor

(Photo by Kate Sy)

ATLANTA – After leading the Wildcats to a pair of victories, including a ranked win, Arizona sophomore netminder Jahiem Fritts is the MCLA Division I PEARL Goalie of the Week for the period ending March 23.

Action started against SLC rival Grand Canyon and the Seattle native was locked in. Fritts finished with 17 saves in the 15-6 victory over the Lopes – good for a 73.9 save percentage.

The Wildcats hosted No. 12 UC Santa Barbara in a non-conference tilt and once against Fritts delivered, this time for 15 stops in an 11-10 triumph.

For the weekend, he had 32 saves and 16 goals against, giving him a save percentage of 66.7.

"Jahiem is the kind of player every coach dreams of having in their program,” said Arizona coach Matt Blamey. “He earned the starting job midway through his freshman year and has grown into one of the top goalies in our conference as only a sophomore —arguably one of the best in the country.

“This past weekend, he stood on his head, making save after save; giving our team even more confidence. What makes Jahiem special isn’t just his talent; it’s the heart, maturity, and energy he brings to our locker room and onto the field. Our defense rallies around him, and we are beyond blessed to have him in a Wildcat uniform.”

As the recipient of the PEARL Goalie of the Week honor, Fritts will receive a PEARL swag bag of goodies that will include PEARL lacrosse balls – the official ball of the MCLA.

PEARL Honor Roll

Henry Link, California
Stopped 18 Chapman shots, leading the Bears to a 12-10 win in Berkeley.

Craig Morgan, Auburn
Made 15 saves in a 14-8 victory over Texas A&M, including three after his stick broke.

Ryan Rosselli, Santa Clara
Turned away 19 shots in a narrow, 14-13 loss at Colorado State.