Utah’s Allan Earns PEARL Nod

ATLANTA – After leading Utah to a stunning overtime victory against a Top 10 outfit, Utes rookie backstop Sam Allan is the MCLA Division I PEARL Goalie of the Week for the period ending March 3.

Utah hosted No. 6 Northeastern in Salt Lake City and the contest turned out to be a thriller. Thanks to 20 saves from the Las Vegas product, the Utes were able to send the game to overtime, where they pulled out the 13-12 victory.

Allan made a pair of doorstep saves in the last half-minute to keep Utah in the mix. He finished the contest with a 62.5 save percentage.

“Sam was the driving force in Utah's win over Northeastern,” said Utah coach Kyler Banks. “His ability to stonewall shooters all over the field was a huge momentum builder and prevented Northeastern's shooters from getting hot. While only a freshman, Sam displayed maturity and a veteran presence in the net.

“While 20 saves are already a massive accomplishment, some of his saves felt like they were worth double given the context of the game and the difficulty of the save. He solidified his elite performance by making two doorstep saves with under 30 seconds left in a tie game to send it to overtime.”

For winning the PEARL Goalie of the Week honor, Allan will receive a PEARL swag bag of goodies that will include PEARL lacrosse balls – the official ball of the MCLA.

PEARL Honor Roll

Sam Deney, Sr. – Connecticut
The Huskies went 0-2 on the weekend, but through no fault of the New Canaan, Conn., stopper who finished with 51 total saves in the two contests.

Miles Dillingham, Fr. – Sonoma State
In a triple overtime win against Purdue, the rookie from Oak Park, Calif., finished with 20 saves – including four in extra time – to give the Seawolves the 5-4 win.

Matthew Gallitano, Sr. – Clemson
The keeper from Sherborn, Mass., made 15 saves (62.5 save percentage) in the Tigers’ 10-9 upset victory over No. 22 Southern Methodist.

Craig Morgan, Jr. – Auburn
The Peachtree, Ga., product was a brick wall in the Tigers victory over No. 20 Georgia. He finished with 21 saves (75.0 save percentage) in the 8-7 triumph.