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March 17, 2003

Gina Riitano was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week.

WASHINGTON — After helping the American University women’s lacrosse team post a 4-2 mark to open the season (2-0 PL), sophomore midfielder Gina Riitano (Schenectady, N.Y./Albany Academy for Girls) was named the first Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week. Riitano netted 14 goals and added seven assists over the first six matches for AU.

After a slow start with only one goal against Old Dominion, Riitano’s play has picked up with five points in three of the last five matches. She scored four goals against Colgate and Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC). In addition, Riitano snagged a ground ball and assisted on teammate Nadia Harmsen’s (Buzzards Bay, Mass./Tabor Academy) game-winning goal in overtime against UMBC.

Riitano is tied for the team lead in scoring with 21 points and ground balls with 22. She leads AU with 14 caused turnovers and is second on the squad with 18 draw controls. In the Patriot League, Riitano is tied for the lead in ground balls, second in points per game, draw controls and caused turnovers, third in goals per game and fifth in assists per game. Already on a number of AU’s all-time charts, she has moved up to ninth all-time in career goals and 10th in career points.

Riitano and the Eagles put their four-match winning streak on the line Wednesday at Mount St. Mary’s. The game begins at 3:30 p.m.