Rydberg and Conroy Earn PEARL Honors

ATLANTA- Strong goalie play is usually a prerequisite for a late season run and William and Mary and Southern Methodist both got strong goalie play to lead them to big wins last week.

William and Mary played Virginia Tech DII and needed a win to clinch a playoff spot in the Atlantic Lacrosse Conference (ALC).  In a game that saw the Tribe trailing 7-4 at halftime goalie Ryan Conroy came up huge.  The Basking Ridge, NJ native came up with save after save to keep the Tribe alive.  Conroy finished with 22 saves and only nine goals allowed as the Tribe won 10-9 to clinch an ALC playoff berth.

William and Mary head coach Joe Schifano said, “Ryan has anchored our defense all year long. He continually comes up big in the most important games. Against Virginia Tech II he had 22 saves and let in just 2 goals in the 2nd half to anchor William and Mary to a 10-9 win. This win not only put us into the playoffs but also secured us the 2nd seed in our division and a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Not only is Ryan good in the goal he is exceptionally quick outside of the net whether chasing down errant shots or clearing the ball. His solid goaltending has been a big reason for our success this season.”

Southern Methodist entered their rivalry game with Texas Christian freshman Henry Rydberg in net.  This was only the fourth game Rydberg had played all season.  The rookie from Atherton, CA was up to the task for the Mustangs.  Rydberg turned away 19 Horned Frog shots.  Rydberg’s performance allowed the Mustangs to gallop away from their rivals in the fourth quarter.  The win in the Battle for the Iron Skillet locked up the two seed for the Mustangs in the Lone Star Alliance playoffs.

Mustang head coach Eric Skeen said, “The Bay Area native has stepped into the starting role seamlessly. After losing our starting goalie to a knee injury over spring break, Rydberg shouldered the burden in a big way. Saturday’s Battle for the Iron Skillet was an off day for our defense—giving up 33 shots on goal—but #13 stood tall in net and shut the door in crucial 4Q possessions.”

Congratulations to Rydberg and Conroy who have been named MCLA Division I and II PEARL Goalie of the Week respectively.  They will receive a PEARL swag bag including PEARL balls-the official ball of the MCLA for their efforts.