N. Dartmouth, MA --- Senior back Lauren Daley and freshman midfielder Kelli McPherson have both been tabbed with Little East Conference Weekly Honors for helping lead Worcester State to a 3-1 triumph over Fitchburg State this past weekend. Daley was honored as the Defensive Player of the Week while McPherson copped Rookie of the Week accolades.
McPherson notched the game-winning tally in the 17th minute while Daley recorded the insurance goal and added a defensive save in their victory over the Falcons. The duo helped the Lancers clinch their first Little East playoff spot since the 2008 season as the sixth seed in this week's conference tournament.
McPhearson, a product of Mansfield, MA has been clutch for the Blue and Gold as all five of her points this season have been game-winning strokes. In addition to her game-winning tally against Fitchburg State, she recorded the game-ending goal in a 2-1 overtime win over Clark on September 1 and she added the match-clinching helper in a 4-0 victory against Eastern Connecticut on October 22.
Daley, who hails from Dedham, has paced WSU defensively as she has a team-best seven defensive saves this season, which is tied for second place in the LEC. Daley now has 19 career defensive stops to her credit as she is the school record holder in the category. Daley's marker this past weekend was her first of the season as she now has two career goals.
Daley is also tied for 11th in the NCAA Division III in defensive saves (leader has 14) while the Lancers are also 31st nationally and 12th in New England in goals against average (1.41).
Under the guidance of first-year head coach Susie Whelan, Worcester State is 10-7 overall (6-5 LEC) and they will travel to third-seeded UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday for a 6:30 meeting in the LEC quarterfinals against the two-time defending tournament champion Corsairs.