BETHLEHEM, Pa. – American and Bucknell split the four Patriot League weekly field hockey awards when the League office announced honors on Monday.
American junior Maura Phelan and freshman goalkeeper Bryn Underwood were named Patriot League Defensive Player and Goalkeeper of the Week, respectively, for their performances in a 2-0 shutout victory over Lehigh. Phelan added her first collegiate goal on a second-quarter penalty stroke, while Underwood recorded her second collegiate shutout.
Bucknell freshman forward Rachel Apa was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week after scoring two goals in the Bison’s 3-2 win over Lafayette. Her goals tied the score and then put Bucknell in front, 3-2, 65 seconds apart in the third quarter.
American sophomore forward/midfielder Julia Kraft, Bucknell senior defender Kaelyn Long and sophomore goalkeeper Clara McCormick, Lafayette senior midfielder Audrey Sawers and Lehigh senior defender Lenke Havas all received honorable mentions for their performances.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FIELD HOCKEY OFFENSIVE PLAYER AND ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Rachel Apa, Bucknell, Fr., Forward, Lewisberry, Pa./Red Land
*Apa totaled four points on two goals, including the game-winner, in Bucknell’s 3-2 victory over Lafayette.
*The freshman forward tied the game with a goal at the 36:37 mark in the third quarter. Just more than a minute later she put the Bison in front, tipping in a penalty corner at the 37:42 mark.
*Apa is the first Patriot League field hockey student-athlete to post a multi-goal game this season.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FIELD HOCKEY DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Maura Phelan, American, Jr., Defender, Lehighton, Pa./Lehighton
*Phelan helped anchor an Eagles’ defense that held Lehigh to six shots, including four on goal and three penalty corners, in a 2-0 victory to clinch a berth in the Patriot League Field Hockey Championship.
*The Lehighton, Pa. native scored her first collegiate goal on a penalty stroke in the second quarter to give American a 2-0 lead.
*Phelan and the American defense held Lehigh to two shots in the second half to preserve a shutout victory.
PATRIOT LEAGUE FIELD HOCKEY GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK
Bryn Underwood, American, Fr., Goalkeeper, Sinking Spring, Pa./Wilson
*Underwood posted her second collegiate shutout in American’s 2-0 victory over Lehigh, finishing with four saves.
*The freshman goalkeeper made a pair of fourth-quarter saves to preserve the win, helping the Eagles clinch a berth in the postseason.
*Her two shutouts are the most in the Patriot League this season, while her 0.66 goals-against average also ranks atop the League.
HONORABLE MENTION
Julia Kraft, American, So., Forward/Midfielder, Perry Hall, Md./Notre Dame Prep
*Kraft came off the bench to score American’s first goal, the first of her collegiate career, in the second quarter of the Eagles’ 2-0 victory over Lehigh to help clinch a berth in the Patriot League Field Hockey Championship.
Clara McCormick, Bucknell, So., Goalkeeper, Pittsburgh, Pa./Shady Side Academy
*McCormick made seven saves, including a penalty stroke with 3.6 seconds remaining in the match, in Bucknell’s 3-2 victory over Lafayette.
Kaelyn Long, Bucknell, Sr., Defender, Hanover, Pa./New Oxford
*Long scored one goal and assisted the game-winner in Bucknell’s 3-2 victory over Lafayette. She was part of a Bison defense that held the Leopards to four shots through the first three quarters.
Audrey Sawers, Lafayette, Sr., Midfielder, North Vancouver, British Columbia/Handsworth
*Sawers scored a goal in the second quarter to give Lafayette a 2-1 lead in an eventual 3-2 loss to Bucknell. She leads the Patriot League with seven points this season.
Lenke Havas, Lehigh, Sr., Defender, Maastricht, The Netherlands/Sint-Maartenscollege
*Havas anchored Lehigh’s defense and posted a defensive save in a 2-0 loss to American.
Offensive Player of the Week
3.8 – Mari Kniezewski, Colgate, So., M
3.15 – Noor Coenen, American, Sr., M
3.22 – Meghan Minturn, Colgate, Sr., F
3.29 – Audrey Sawers, Lafayette, Sr., M
4.5 – Gaby de Kock, American, Sr., F
4.12 – Rachel Apa, Bucknell, Fr., F
Defensive Player of the Week
3.8 – Kathryn Scheerer, Boston University, Sr., B
3.15 – Georgia Davies, American, Jr., D
3.22 – Lenke Havas, Lehigh, Sr., D
3.29 – Simone Hefting, Lafayette, So., D
4.5 – Georgia Davies, American, Jr., D
4.12 – Maura Phelan, American, Jr., D
Goalkeeper of the Week
3.8 – Anna Unger, Colgate, Jr., GK
3.15 – Maddie Kahn, So., GK
3.22 – Maddie Kahn, So., GK
3.29 – Clara McCormick, Bucknell, So., GK
4.5 - Clara McCormick, Bucknell, So., GK
4.12 – Bryn Underwood, American, Fr., GK
Rookie of the Week
3.8 – Kari Melberger, Bucknell, Fr., M
3.15 – Julia Gatelein, Lehigh, Fr., M/F
3.22 – Ella Murphy, Colgate, Fr., M
3.29 – Thalia Steenssens, Boston University, Fr., M
4.5 – Brooke Ross, Holy Cross, Fr., GK
4.12 – Rachel Apa, Bucknell, Fr., F
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes that are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.