LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -
The Lady Eagle Field Hockey team (18-1, 8-0 Northeast Conference) brought
home several awards and placed a league high six players on the
all-conference team after their first year of Division I play at the Haven.
Defender Rebecca
Steffen (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area) was chosen as NEC Defensive
Player of the Year. Offensively for the team, she banked three goals and
had two assists on the season.
Head coach Pat Rudy was
selected as NEC Coach of the Year. Rudy led the team to the conference
regular season title in its first year of division play. The Haven also has
an 11-game winning streak under Rudy, and is ranked third defensively in
Division I competition
With
defensive-player-of-the-year honors under her belt, Steffen will be joined
by junior defender Courtney Hughes (Schwenksville, Pa./Souderton),
who has helped hold the competition to only 14 points in 19 games. Nikki
Sweger (Dauphin, Pa./Central Dauphin East) leads the NEC in assists
(11), and is tied for second in the conference in points (33). Senior
forward Kellie Kulina (Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin) is third in
total points scored (29), and is tied for second in goals (12). Kulina, the
Haven record-holder for career assists (38), was also chosen to participate
in the Division I North/South Senior All-Star Game. Senior midfielder
Katie Stewartz (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) brings her strength to the
team with eight assists on the season. Senior goalkeeper Melissa
Stubblefield (Carmel, N.Y./Carmel) has recorded five shutouts for the
season, and is ranked second among Division I goalkeepers, with a goals
against average of 0.68. She is also ranked eighth in the nation in save
percentage (.818). Sweger, Stewartz and Hughes have all collected NEC
Player of the Week awards during the 2004 season.
