SU defender Riley Figueiras earns Co-ACC Defensive Player of the Week
Figueiras helped hold the nation’s top scorer, Rory Connor, to just two goals in SU’s 18-12 win over Georgetown Sunday. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor
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Syracuse defender Riley Figueiras was named co-Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week, alongside North Carolina faceoff specialist Brady Wambach, the conference announced Tuesday. Figueiras led SU to two wins over Big East foes. First, the Orange dispatched then-No. 14 Denver 13-12 on the road before blowing past then-No. 13 Georgetown 18-12 Sunday.
Figueiras played an integral role in Syracuse’s win over the Hoyas. The redshirt junior held Rory Connor — the country’s then-leading scorer with 4.5 goals per game — to just two scores. It was the first time all season Connor didn’t record a hat trick.
“(Billy Dwan III) and (Figueiras) are as good as anybody out there,” Georgetown head coach Kevin Warne said postgame.
Figueiras even made a rare forage over midfield during a transition opportunity. He fed Dante Bowen and later Michael Leo, leading to a goal which put SU up 9-4, during a 7-0 second quarter run.
The Orange held the Hoyas to one goal over a 21-minute stretch in the first half. Meanwhile, their offense was humming and Georgetown didn’t know how to react. Joey Spallina totaled seven points, while Leo tied his career-high with five goals.
SU was a man down for a large portion of the fourth quarter against Georgetown. Chuck Kuczynski was ejected for a hit to the head, which drew a three-minute unreleasable flag. Figueiras was even called for two penalties later on. Still, Syracuse’s defense only allowed two goals in the final frame — its best defensive quarter of the game.
This is the second time this season Figueiras has earned Player of the Week honors, bringing SU’s total to eight. He did so on Feb. 17, after Syracuse defeated then-No. 1 Maryland 11-9. The week prior to that Jimmy McCool earned the label, while John Mullen got it following the season-opener.
