(Photo Courtesy of Merrimack Athletics)

Week two of the college lacrosse season has come and gone, having started on Wednesday evening on the banks at Rutgers and ending in Charlottesville.

So without further ado, here is the Lacrosse Bucket Team of The Week for week one of the 2022 college lacrosse season.

Attack: Brendan Nichtern, Army West Point

The Black Knights opened the season with a 14-13 victory against the UMass Minutemen on Saturday afternoon. Nichtern led the way for the West Point offense, tallying eight points off five goals and three assists. That included a first-quarter hat trick.

Attack: Chris Gray, North Carolina

As expected, Gray made his mark in North Carolina’s two games this weekend as he combined for 12 points (7G/5A) in the pair of contests. Gray tallied eight points off four goals and four assists against Richmond before having four points off three goals and an assist against Colgate.

Attack: Josh Zawada, Michigan

A week after setting a new individual program record for single-game points and assists, Zawada repeated that same performance – this time against the Detroit Mercy Titans. The attackman put up 10 points off five goals and five assists to help the Wolverines to a dominating 21-5 victory.

Midfield: Will Abbott, Quinnipiac

It was attackman Dylan Donnery who put in the game-winner for the Bobcats, but midfielder Will Abbott led the way on the stat sheet in Quinnipiac’s opener late Saturday morning. Abbott put up six points off four goals, which included two consecutive that became part of a third-quarter hat trick, and two assists.

Midfield: Josh Rose, Utah

Rose has thrived in this new style of Utah lacrosse, playing on offense, defense, and the faceoff wings. In the Utes’ big win over Vermont, Rose made a dent in each of those spots as he scooped up six ground balls, caused two turnovers, and scored two goals.

Midfield: Bryce Ford, Fairfield

The Stags didn’t win their season opener on Saturday against Stony Brook, falling off a late-game goal in the final 20 seconds. However, it was a massive day for Bryce Ford as he returned to the field after missing last season with an injury. Ford put up eight points off six goals and two assists in the contest to lead the Stags offense.

Faceoff: Luke Wierman, Maryland

Maryland blasted Loyola 20-8 on Saturday in a blowout win. Wierman was crucial in helping the Terrapins to the large victory, going 19-for-25 (76%) at the dot while also scoring two goals and assisting on another.

SSDM: Ruben Santana, Utah

The Utah Utes recorded their biggest victory in program history on Saturday, beating No. 17 Vermont 11-10. Santana was a massive part of the Utes win, collecting four ground balls while causing three turnovers.

LSM: Malik Sparrow, Denver

In the Pioneers’ 13-9 win against fellow Rocky Mountain foe Air Force, Sparrow certainly gave his team a sizable lift as he made plays all over the field – which included multiple hits in the middle of the field. Sparrow ended the game with three caused turnovers and two ground balls.

Defense: Gibson Smith, Georgetown

Georgetown’s defense led the way in the Hoyas’ season-opening victory against Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, holding the Blue Jays to just 3-for-31 in shooting in the final three quarters. Smith was a huge part of that effort, scooping up six ground balls and a causing one turnover in the contest.

Defense: Will Bowen, Georgetown

Along with his aforementioned teammate, Bowen also played a big part in the Hoyas stellar defensive play on Sunday. Bowen ended the game with one caused turnover and scooped up five ground balls.

Defense: David Lamarca, Marquette

On Saturday, the Golden Eagles beat the Bellarmine Knights 9-8 in triple overtime. In those three extra periods, the Knights were unable to get a shot off and they only got off a total of 28 shots all game (9 in the second half) as the Marquette defense gave them trouble. Lamarca helped spearhead that effort, causing four turnovers and collecting four ground balls.

Goalie: Henry Vogt, Merrimack

The Warriors’ ultimately fell shot against Boston U. on Saturday, but Vogt had himself a career day and one of the best performances from a goalie we’ve seen during thus young season. Vogt recorded a career-high 23 saves and also had a goal, which he launched from well beyond the midline with under four minutes remaining in the game.