SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- Richmond men’s lacrosse sophomores J.P. Forester (Bloomfield Hills, Michigan) and Brendan Hynes (Mahopac, New York) were today named the Southern Conference’s Offensive and Defensive Players of the Month, respectively. The announcement came following the conclusion of the regular season and tournament, which finished last weekend.
Forester is a repeat to the Player of the Month list, having won the award for March. The First-Team All-Conference attackman posted 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists in April. Forester, whose point and assist totals were tied for the league lead in the month, scored at least three points in each of his five April contests, helping the Spiders to a 5-0 mark. Forester opened his month with two goals and an assist against Furman before turning in his best game of the month with four goals and two assists against High Point. He added two goals and two assists against Bellarmine on April 18 en route to being named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week before notching three assists against Mercer. Forester got back in the goals column in the semifinals of the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship, scoring three times in an 8-7 win over Furman, including the eventual game-winner.
Hynes, who was also named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, scooped up a league-best 38 ground balls and caused 11 turnovers in five April contests as the Spiders went 5-0. Hynes was also a three-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Week in April, taking the honor on April 7, 14 and 21. Hynes recorded at leave five ground balls in each April contest, including a season-high nine with three caused turnovers against Furman on April 4. He turned in a career day at High Point on April 11, recording eight ground balls and causing two turnovers in addition to scoring his first career hat trick and adding an assist for a career-high four points. That performance earned Hynes National Defensive Player of the Week honors from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Hynes had eight ground balls and three caused turnovers against Bellarmine and notched eight ground balls and two caused turnovers in the SoCon Men’s Lacrosse Championship semifinals against Furman. Hynes also held Furman’s leading goal-scorer without a goal as the Spiders edged the Paladins 8-7 to reach the title game.
The Spiders won the Southern Conference regular season title after a perfect 6-0 league mark, finishing with an 11-5 overall record. Richmond had half (three of the six) player of the Month awards in the regular season and nine of the 24 Player of the Week nods for offense and defense, more than any other league member. Entering the NCAA Tournament, Richmond was the top team in the country in clearing percentage, while second in the nation in scoring defense (goals-allowed average) and man-down defense (penalty-killing). The Spiders led the Southern Conference in 10 of the 15 team categories tracked by the NCAA, including goals, scoring defense, margin, ground balls and winning percentage. In just two seasons, the Spiders are above .500 as a program, ending year two 17-16 all-time.
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