Utah Valley’s Sturgill Grabs PEARL Honor

(Photo by Lance Wendt)

ATLANTA – Backstopping a pair of key wins that puts the Wolverines atop the conference standings, senior netminder Max Sturgill is the MCLA Division I PEARL Goalie of the Week for the period ending April 13.

Action started on Thursday when the fourth-ranked Wolverines entertained No. 19 Colorado State. Thanks 15 saves from the Lehi, Utah, product, Utah Valley was able to take the shootout victory, 22-13.

Two days later, UVU played a No. 14 Colorado outfit that was coming up an upset of previously undefeated and reigning national champion Brigham Young on Thursday. With another 15 saves, the Wolverines were able to post an 11-9 triumph.

For the week, Sturgill had 30 saves and a 57.7 save percentage along with 10 ground balls.

“Max is an integral part of our defensive unit with how he plays his position in net, his involvement in ground balls around the cage, and the leadership he provides on that end of the field,” said Utah Valley coach Colin Maxfield.

“Not all saves are created equal, and Max made huge timely saves in both contests this weekend that provided massive momentum swings for our team. As a bonus, Max forced multiple turnovers snagging passes outside of the net, and jump-started our transitions with his outlets and ball-carrying ability.”

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

PEARL Honor Roll

Ian Carvajal, Liberty
Combined for 25 saves and a 69.4 save percentage to give the Flames a pair of victories.

Lucas Chu, Cal Poly
Made 16 big saves in the Mustangs big win over UCSB to grab the top seed in the WCLL.

Finn Thompson, Arizona State
Recorded a 66.7 save percentage along with a ground ball in a big SLC win over Arizona.