Ashdod LC’s Zach Penfil was named STX Offensive Player of the Week and Max Gradinger was named Bank Hapoalim Defensive Player of the Week after Ashdod LC produced two wins in the first week of regular season play.
Zach Penfil leads Ashdod LC (2-0) and the IPLL in scoring and points (8G, 2A) after the first week of the season. He was involved in all eight goals during Ashdod’s win over Kiryat Gat on opening night, recording six goals and two assists while also earning the EL AL Player of the Game award. He added two more goals to his tally during Ashdod’s dominating win over Netanya on Wednesday night.
Max Gradinger was a strong presence on the field, leading Ashdod’s defense to shut down Kiryat Gat and Netanya while also adding three goals to the tally sheet and helping to keep the ball on the offensive half of the field. With Gradinger’s performance, Ashdod ends the week with only ten goals against (2nd in the league).
“Both Max and Zach have been fantastic so far this season,” said Ashdod LC coach Eli Hacmon. “Zach has come ready to dominate the face-off and has thrilled us with consistent goal scoring on the offensive end. Max is a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end. He has seemingly picked up every groundball and led the team in every aspect.”
The IPLL action continues on Sunday, July 4, when Barak Netanya LC (0-2) meets Beer Sheva LC (1-1) in the first game of week 2. Ashdod hosts Haifa (1-1) on Tuesday.