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	Dec. 13, 2004 Field of Dreams: Field Hockey Player Makes Goals Happen at LHU

	LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Rebecca Steffen (Hawley, Pa./Wallenpaupack Area) is achieving goals. She has done so literally as a 2004 Third Team All-America field hockey player for Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania, striking the ball into the net three times this past season despite being known primarily as a standout defensive player. But Steffen also is achieving personal goals as a field hockey player, coming from a modest high school program in Hawley, Pa., to being a Division I starter. Steffen attended Wallenpaupack Area High School. There, field hockey was not a staple sport of the school, she said. “We only had enough players to play,” Steffen said. But Steffen would shine while on the team, twice capping team MVP honors. Unlike her teammates, she carried the desire to play past high school graduation.	Junior Rebecca Steffen
	“Nobody else went on to play in college from what I know,” she said. Steffen would work hard to make the team at LHU. As a freshman, she not only made the varsity squad, but she became a starter. “I didn’t expect to start when I came here,” Steffen said. “I worked harder and harder to make sure I would.” This year, under coach Pat Rudy, Lock Haven moved up to Division I play, which made a dream of Steffen’s come true. “I’ve always dreamed of playing Division I,” Steffen said. “When I came here, it wasn’t a Division I school at the time. But now it is.” And Steffen stepped up her efforts this year, helping the Lady Eagles win 19 games during the season, for a 19-1 overall record. She was a leader on a defensive line that allowed just a 0.73 goal average per game. She was named a Third Team All-American by WomensFieldHockey.com and was selected as a First Team All-Region player on the 2004 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Mideast Region squad. Outside of field hockey, Steffen is working on other goals. As a Physical Therapy major, she already is looking beyond her undergraduate experience. “I hope to go on to grad school and get my doctorate,” Steffen said. She is happy with her decision to attend LHU. “I realized it’s the perfect size,” she said. “The school is what you make of it. I can run along the levee. It’s small, like home, and everything is relatively close.” ###LHU###