Pannell, Farrell & Emery named MLL Players of the Week

Jul 8, 2014 - 2:54 PM Boston, MA (Sports Network) - Major League Lacrosse, the premier professional outdoor lacrosse league, announced Week 10's Warrior Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week and the Cascade Rookie of the Week today.

This week, Rob Pannell of the New York Lizards was awarded honors for his offensive contributions to the 20-11 domination over the Florida Launch, and Brian Farrell was recognized for leading a physical team defense in the Ohio Machine's 16-14 win over the Chesapeake Bayhawks. Rookie midfielder Rob Emery was an offensive force to be reckoned with as he helped lead prominent Boston Cannons scorers to a 17-13 upset over the Denver Outlaws.

Pannell had a hand in eight of the Lizards' 20 goals last Thursday, netting four goals and assisting another four. All of his tallies were unassisted, demonstrating his offensive dominance and ability to split the Launch's defense with ease. Pannell was sure not to make it a one-man-show though, assisting one of Jo-Jo Marasco's three, and one of Tommy Palasek's five goals, as well as back-to-back points from Michael Kimmel and Matthew Gibson within less than a minute.

Farrell was an immovable force around the ball, collecting a team-high of five ground balls. An expert at clearing the Machine's zone, Farrell and his defensive core helped eliminate scoring chances for the Bayhawks, and kept usual sharp shooters like Ben Hunt and Drew Westervelt to seven shots apiece. Although he is being celebrated for his defensive contributions, Farrell also scored a goal and earned an assist against the Bayhawks.

Emery has made a slow but steady entry into the professional world of lacrosse, accruing almost a point per game until he set a new career high for himself last Friday. In leading the team in scoring with four goals, Emery, a graduate of the University of Virginia, helped the Cannons upset the Outlaws for the first time in two years on their host's home turf.

The MLL will observe a bye week for the FIL World Games, but will resume July 17th. Watch Emery and the Cannons (5-5) fight to keep their spot in the run for the playoffs as they take on Pannell and the Lizards (6-4) Saturday, July 19th, at Harvard Stadium at 6:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN3.com and syndicated channels. Farrell and the Ohio Machine (4-6) will next suit up against the Charlotte Hounds later that day, at 7:00 p.m. (ET), broadcast on CBS Sports Network.