Garrett, Edwards Grab March Monthly Honors

(Photo by Maddie Djuric / Anna Scipione)

ATLANTA – After demonstrating phenomenal play during the month, Auburn sophomore faceoff man Aidan Garrett and UC San Diego sophomore attackman Jackson Edwards are the MCLA March Players of the Month presented by Lacrosse Specialties.

Auburn posted a 4-1 month and vaulted itself back into the thick of the SELC championship hunt thanks to draw play of the Macungie, Pa., product. Garrett went 76-for-86 at the dot in March for a stunning, 88.4 winning percentage.

The Tigers kicked off the month with a two-goal loss to No. 3 Florida and Garrett was instrumental in giving Auburn a chance by winning 15 of the 18 faceoffs he took. In the upset of then-No. 7 Florida State, he went 17-of-22 (77.3 percent). He didn’t lose a single draw in wins over North Carolina and Central Florida.

In addition to his winning percentage, Garrett gobbled up 53 ground balls – 10.6 per game – while scoring three goals and dishing a pair of assists.

"Aidan adds such a level of confidence to the team knowing that our chances of possession are greater than the other team's,” said Auburn coach J.J. Arminio. “To be able to play make-it, take-it lacrosse is what kept us in those close losses early in the season and has helped us on this post-spring break run.

“The fact that he has so many ground balls to go along with his wins shows he's capable of using different exit strategies and not just getting it to his wings, which he's fully capable of doing, too.

“He took a beating this weekend, facing long poles whose job was to just muck it up and prevent him from getting the ball. But the kid's a grinder and has a motor that never stops. He's a student of the position, often discussing strategy and testing out moves with our other FOGOs who challenge him in practice to get ready for the weekend.

“He's such a happy go-lucky kid who always has a smile on his face. You can tell he just loves life. But when he's on the field, it's all business. When he scores, there's no celebration. It's a jog right back to the X and he's ready to go again.

“Recently voted as president of the club for the next academic year, you can tell he really has the respect of his teammates and they trust that he's going to give his all, on and off the field."

Top-ranked and undefeated UC San Diego continued its dominant run thanks to offensive prowess of Edwards. The Tritons went 5-0 during March aided by 16 goals and 12 assists from the San Francisco native.

In the win over No. 3 Florida Atlantic that started the month, he buried a goalie and set up three others in a 9-6 victory. Against then-No. 1 Air Force, Edwards scored five goals and dished out four assists – accounting for 75 percent of UCSD’s offensive output – as the Tritons toppled the Falcons, 12-10.

“Last year, Jackson was very productive as a freshman, but this year he has taken it to another level,” said UC San Diego coach Albert Man. “He's a perfect example of what dedication and hard work in the offseason can do for your game.

“He is dangerous every possession and he's been a force for us every game. Down 6-1 to Air Force, we needed a spark badly. Jackson gave us an explosion. He carried us with nine points in the second half to lead us to victory.

“Having two of the nation's best attackmen – Austin Ortel and Alex Franz – as role models has sped his development. Now Jackson is making a name for himself.”

For being named the Player of the Month, both Garrett and Edwards will receive a personal plaque compliments of Lacrosse Specialties, the preferred awards provider of the MCLA.

Lacrosse Specialties March Honor Roll

Division I

Ethan Gerber, Florida
Jake Hives, Grand Canyon
Cade Kirschner, Brigham Young
Keaton Mohs, Liberty
Braden Rome, Arizona State
Morry Stein, Texas
Blake Yates, Utah Valley

Division II

Ben Capone, Grand Valley State
Colin Dobbins, Cal State San Marcos
Conor Farnan, Tulane
Kolson Huff, UNC-Charlotte
Ryan Kerr, Florida Atlantic
Jacob Mentkowski, Miami
Cooper Williams, Utah State