For the second straight year, senior co-captain Stacey Watkins was one of 16 regional players selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) New England West Region First Team. The roster was announced yesterday and included players from each of the 10 NESCAC schools, with conference champion and NCAA Quarterfinalist Bowdoin raking in five.
Watkins was the anchor of the Tufts defense this season, playing center back and coordinating, along with senior co-captain Marilyn Duffy-Cabana, a Jumbo backfield that recorded six shutouts and allowed just 1.16 goals per contest, the lowest average since 2000. Watkins had a team-leading four defensive saves, good for third in the league. Down the stretch leading to the NESCAC Tournament, Watkins and the Tufts defenders buckled down to record three shutouts in their final five games, which included three key league wins in regular-season shutouts of Williams and Conn. College and a first-round NESCAC win over Trinity.
Watkins also moved up on the team's penalty corner unit, contributed a solid direct shot that scored four goals and set up six others. Her corner shot went from solid to reliably explosive and played a big role in the Jumbos' ability to capitalize on corners that strengthened as the season went on.
As a four-year member of the squad, Watkins saw the turnaround of the program. Her freshman year, the Jumbos posted a 5-10 record and ended their season with a 6-0 thumping by Bowdoin in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. Three years later, the team went 11-5 (the most wins since 1999), and advanced to the NESCAC Semifinals.
- by Liz Hoffman
