SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Redshirt junior attacker
Kerri Clayton was an unstoppable force this weekend, with the performance earning her Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, the conference announced on Monday afternoon.
Clayton finished with 13 points, scoring nine goals while dishing out four assists, during the two-games this weekend. In helping the Sun Devils defeat Oregon in overtime on Friday night, Clayton carried the load offensively and refused to let her team lose. She recorded 12 points, which matched Colorado's Darby Kiernan (12 points vs. Jacksonville – 5/11/18) for the most points by a Pac-12 player in a single game. Clayton obliterated the previous high for points in a game by a Pac-12 individual so far in 2019, surpassing her teammate
Emily Glagolev, who had eight points against the same Oregon side in the Sun Devils' victory in Eugene back in March.
Not only did
Kerri Clayton set conference records, her eight-goal and 12-point effort put her name at the top of the Arizona State record books in each of the respective categories. Clayton now has the two highest single-game goal outputs by a Sun Devil, as she reached the seven-goal mark in a victory over Kennesaw State to kick-off the 2018 season.
Despite garnering the majority of attention from opposing defenses this season coming off a breakout 44-goal campaign a year ago, Clayton has still managed to produce. Her 28 goals this season tie her for sixth in the conference, while her 39 points is good enough for a fourth-place tie among Pac-12 individuals. She has taken her game to another level as the competition increases, sitting in fourth place with 19 goals and matching teammate
Emily Glagolev for second place with 28 points during Pac-12 conference play.
In the Sun Devils victory over Oregon on Friday, Clayton came through at several key moments when the game was in the balance. With her squad trailing 14-12 late in the second half, Clayton scored her seventh and eighth goals of the game to even the score and force overtime. During the first overtime period, Clayton had the assist on the game-winning goal from
Kylie Kroeger, as the Sun Devils swept a Pac-12 team for the first time in program history. The two wins in the tough Pac-12 Conference represent progress for a program that managed only one conference win a season ago.
Clayton becomes the second Sun Devil to receive a Weekly Conference Honor, joining freshman midfielder
Kaylon Buckner, who took home Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors for the first week of the season. Buckner was all over the field in a victory over Kennesaw State, finishing the contest with six caused turnovers, earning five draw controls and in addition to securing a ground ball. She may have won Defensive Player of the Week honors, but the freshman also served as a key part of the Sun Devil attack. She recorded four points (two goals & two assist), including tallying the game-winning goal in the second half.
Clayton and the Sun Devils hit the East Coast for a pair of games this upcoming weekend. First up, Arizona State travels to Virgina to take on Liberty on Friday at 1:00 MST. Next, the Sun Devils head down to South Carolina to take on Presbyterian on Sunday at 10 a.m. MST. A season ago, ASU set a program-high for goals in a game during a 23-5 victory over Presbyterian at home.
Kerri Clayton and the rest of the Sun Devils are preparing for the second-ever Pac-12 Lacrosse Championship, hosted by the University of Oregon in Eugene running April 25
th-28
th. For tickets to the championships, visit the following
link.
Keep up to date with the latest information and updates along all season by following our Instagram/Twitter (@SunDevilWLax) as well as liking our Facebook. Visit TheSunDevils.com for additional information on Sun Devil Lacrosse.
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