TEL AVIV, ISRAEL — Be’er Sheva LC’s Eric Fischer and Payton Fales were named Epoch Offensive Player of the Week and EL AL Defensive Player of the Week for their performances in the Israel Premier Lacrosse League (IPLL) playoffs this past week.
Fischer led the “Speed of the Negev” with four goals in their 13-9 semifinal win over Haifa LC on Tuesday, before chipping in one goal and five assists in the IPLL Championship Game in a 13-9 win over Ashkelon LC in the IPLL Championship Game. Fischer, a natural goaltender who made 18 saves against England in the final of the 2016 European Championships, has been playing offense for Be’er Sheva to give the team more depth on their opponents side of the field. The experiment has worked — the Binghamton finished the 2017 season seventh in scoring — helping the team win back-to-back IPLL titles.
Fales’ proficiency between the pipes allowed Fischer to compete as a runner. The 20-year-old goaltender, who plays NCAA ball at Colby College, went save-for-save with Haifa LC goaltender Ted Bergman in the semifinals, finishing with 10 saves and 9 goals against. Fales preserved his best performance for the IPLL Championship Game, making 14 saves against Ashkelon to earn his sixth win of the season. Fales had a 57.1% save percentage in the playoffs.
Be’er Sheva will look to “three-peat” when they defend their title. The 2018 IPLL season is tentatively scheduled to kick off on July 23rd.