League Tabs Two For Weekly Honors

TROY, N.Y. – The Liberty League has announced its weekly Performers of the Week in field hockey and women’s soccer and two Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) student-athletes have been selected. Briana Earle was named the Defensive Performer of the Week in field hockey, while Sara Rothschild earned Rookie of the Week in women’s soccer.

Earle, a junior goalie out of Baldwinsville, N.Y., earned her award after helped RPI go 1-1 in its opening week, stopping 24 shots in 170:00 minutes. She made 11 saves in a 2-1 penalty stroke victory at William Paterson and then stopped 13 shots in a narrow 3-2 loss to Montclair State. For the weekend, she had a 1.65 goals against average and a .857 save percentage.

Last season, the former C. W. Baker High School standout played in 11 games, including nine as a starter. She posted a 1-9 record, carrying a 3.00 goals against average with 74 saves. This is the second Defensive Performer of the Week in Earle’s career, having garnered the honor in 2008. That season, she started 13 games with a 7-6 overall record and was also a two-time Rookie of the Week selection.

A freshman forward out of Manlius, N.Y., Rothschild had a hand in all three of RPI's goals over two games, as the women’s soccer team went 1-1. She also had five shots, three of which went on goal. In a 2-0 victory at Castleton State, she scored a goal and assisted on another. She then picked up a helper on RPI's lone goal in a 3-1 loss to Wellesley.

Rothschild was a three-year member of the soccer team at Fayetteville-Manlius High School, garnering All-League First Team as a senior. She led the team in assists during her final season and was the squad’s scoring leader as a junior. Rothschild, who was a scholar-athlete, led her team to a League Championship title in 2008 and the Section Finals in 2009.

The field hockey team is back in action on Wednesday at Hartwick for a 7pm match. Live stats will be available at http://livestats.hartwick.edu/Soccer/WFH1011/xlive.htm. RPI will then welcome #5 SUNY Cortland on Saturday at Harkness Field (12pm). Live stats for Saturday’s game can be found at http://sidearmstats.com/rpi/fhockey/.

The women’s soccer team is back on the pitch this weekend, when they head to Schenectady to compete in the Dutchwomen Classic. RPI faces Westfield State on Saturday and New Paltz on Sunday. Both games begin at 1pm. Live stats for the weekend will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/union/wsoc/.