Feb. 25, 2008

Loudonville, N.Y. - Siena men's lacrosse junior attackman Chris Zarins and sophomore goalie Brent Herbst were named MAAC Player and Defensive Player of the Week respectively, announced earlier today by league headquarters. Zarins notched the game-winning goal, while Herbst made six of his nine saves in the final period of Siena's 6-5 win over Ivy League power Harvard on Saturday.

Zarins, who tallied a hat trick in Siena's season-opener the week before, notched two important goals in the win over the Crimson. Down 3-1 in the second, he jumpstarted Siena's offense with the first of three Saints' goals in a 58 second span. Then, with the game tied at five in the fourth, the junior attackman from Bayville, N.Y. found the back of the net with the game-winning goal. After being plagued by injuries for a large portion of last season, Zarins currently ranks tied for second in the MAAC in goals scored with five along with teammate Matt Girsh.

Herbst, the reigning MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year, continued to live up to expectations with another strong performance on Saturday. After only allowing one goal in the Saints' season opener against Presbyterian last week, he allowed only five to Harvard. Most impressively, Herbst recorded six of his nine saves in the fourth period with Siena hanging on for most of the fourth to a one goal lead. The Plainview, N.Y. native also picked up a game-high six ground balls in the win.

Zarins, Herbst and the Saints, who earlier in the day received votes to be ranked for the first time in program history in the weekly USILA Coaches' Poll, will gear up for their cross-town showdown with 13th ranked UAlbany tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the state capital.