April 20, 2009

GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina’s Shane Walterhoefer was named the Atlantic Coast Conference’s final Men’s Lacrosse Player of the Week for the period ending on Sunday, April 19. Walterhoefer registered a game-high 10 ground balls and won 17-of-25 face-offs in the 13-8 upset victory over No. 6 Hofstra.

The senior from Ellicott City, Md., came off the bench to help lead the winning effort on the Pride’s home field Saturday night, ending Hofstra’s seven-game winning streak and handing the Pride only their second loss of the season and their first at home.

The 17 face-off wins moved Walterhoefer into fourth place all-time in NCAA Division I, while the 10 ground balls moved him into seventh place in NCAA Division I history. Walterhoefer has won at least 15 face-offs in a game 18 times in his career. He has won 203-of-314 face-offs this year (.646) and is now at 113 ground balls.

Walterhoefer went seven-for-seven on face-offs in the third quarter against Hofstra as UNC dominated possession, allowing the Heels to outscore the Pride 5-1 and turn a 6-5 halftime deficit into a 10-7 lead entering the fourth quarter. The midfielder was 10-of-12 in the second half alone.

North Carolina will next play host to the 2009 ACC Men’s Lacrosse Championship, beginning Friday, April 24 with semifinals action. Maryland locked in the No. 1 seed in the upcoming two-day tournament, which will take place at UNC’s Kenan Stadium.

The Terrapins, who own a 6-4 overall record and a 2-1 league mark, will take on fourth-seed and host North Carolina on Friday, April 24 at 5 p.m. ET, while No. 2 seed Duke and No. 3 seed Virginia square off at 7:30 p.m. ET.

For more information, go to TheACC.com or visit http://www.theacc.com/championships/09-mens-lacrosse-championship.html.