Steele strong in cage for Duke
With a year of experience under her belt, Duke’s redshirt sophomore Sammie Steele is fast becoming one of the top goalkeepers in college field hockey. And, she gets a lot of help from a friend.
Steele, from Eagleville (Methacton), is a key component on the Blue Devils squad that is ranked second on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll and stood 7-1 overall and 1-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play after a 3-0 non-league victory over Old Dominion on Sept. 24 in Durham, N.C.
Steele has played all 560 minutes in front of the net and has given up just six goals (0.96 goals against average) and has 26 saves (.813 save percentage) with five shutouts. She’s been extra tough the past four contests giving up just two goals with two shutouts to help Duke go 4-0.
“The more we play, the more confident Sammi gets,” coach Pam Bustin said. “She has responded to the challenge.”
Last season, Steele started all 20 games and gave up 27 goals with 73 saves with five shutouts. She anchored a defense that was 12th in the nation with a 1.48 goals against average. The Blue Devils finished 16-4 and lost 3-2 to eventual national champion Delaware in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.
Senior back Alyssa Chillano (Spring-Ford) is that friend. A first-team AllAmerican as a junior, she has contributed a goal and an assist this season and has 20 goals and 11 assists for 51 points in 68 games and 59 starts in her career. But more importantly, Chillano is one of the people on the back line who make Steele’s job that much easier.
“Alyssa and Sammi have been playing together since they’ve been 5 or 6 years old in club field hockey,” Bustin said. “You take their play for granted but they trust each other and they’re comfortable playing together.” MARK FORREST (THE HILL SCHOOL) » The 6-foot-3 junior forward was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 25) after leading the 6-2 Lehigh men’s soccer team to a pair of victories the previous week. Forrest, from Douglassville, had two assists, including one on the game-winner, in a 3-1 victory over Seton Hall on Sept. 19 and the only score as the Mountain Hawks opened the league season with a 1-0 victory over Army on Sept. 23. He leads the league in points with 16 on six goals and four assists. His 2.29 points per game is third best in NCAA Division I. He’s tied for fourth in the nation in goals scored. ALEXA HOOVER (METHACTON) » The senior continues to be an offensive threat for the Penn field hockey team. She had two goals, including the game winner in overtime in a 3-2 victory over No. 22-ranked American on Sept. 24 in Philadelphia. And, she had both goals in a 2-0 triumph over Villanova on Sept. 9. Hoover leads the 4-4 Quakers with seven goals and two assists for 16 points and now has 63 goals, 21 assists and 147 points with 10 gamewinners in 58 games — all starts. She was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association second team AllAmerican, a first team NFHCA All-Region pick and an All-Ivy first team pick the past two seasons and was All-Ivy and the league’s Rookie of the Year as a freshman. DREW KRESGE (DANIEL BOONE) » The sophomore continues to do a solid job placekicking for the Villanova football team, the Wildcats 2-2 after dropping a 19-10 decision to Albany on Sept. 23 in Albany, N.Y. Kresge kicked a 24-yard field goal and then his extra point after a touchdown tied the game with no time left in regulation. The Great Danes scored nine points to win in overtime. Kresge has hit 4 of 5 field goals including a 44-yarder and a 34-yarder in a 16-13 loss to Temple on Sept. 9. He’s also connected on 14 of 15 extra points. RACHEL YENNEY (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) » The senior forward/midfielder leads the Bloomsburg women’s soccer team with 10 points on three goals and four assists. That’s one goal short of her totals coming into this season — four goals and four assists for 12 points in 50 games and 43 starts. Yenney had two goals and an assist in the season-opener, an 8-1 triumph over Chestnut Hill on Aug. 31. The Huskies are 6-2-1 overall and 5-2-1 in PSAC play after a 2-1 loss to West Chester on Sept. 24 in Bloomsburg. ALLY MOONEY (OWEN J. ROBERTS) » The redshirt junior came up big in goal for the Shippensburg field hockey in a showdown game with East Stroudsburg, the Raiders coming out on top 4-1 last Wednesday in Shippensburg. Mooney had eight saves as No. 2 Shippensburg turned back No. 1 East Stroudsburg in a key PSAC match. Mooney, who had 13 saves in a 6-1 victory over Millersville on Sept. 12, has given up nine goals (1.21 goals against average) with 36 saves (.800 save percentage) as the Raiders moved to 7-1 overall and 2-0 in league play. JAXSON BURNS (DANIEL BOONE) » The junior assisted on two big goals for the 6-1-1 Millersville men’s soccer team to kick off the PSAC season. The 5-foot-11,
145-pound midfielder had the helper in a 1-0 victory over Seton Hill on Sept. 22. Then he set up a goal at the 86:49 mark of the game to tie East Stroudsburg 2-2 on Sept. 24, Millersville winning 3-2 in overtime. Those were the first points of the season for Burns who scored 10 goals with five assists for 25 points his first two seasons. The Marauders lost at Lock Haven 1-0 last Wednesday to go to 2-1 in league play.
ALEXANDER DOVE (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) » The junior has started off the season unbeaten with the Susquehanna men’s tennis team, the River Hawks opening with victories over Penn College (9-0), Lycoming (7-1) and Misericordia (8-1). Dove is 3-0 at No. 1 singles and 2-0 at No. 2 doubles. In singles, he has lost just six sets and in doubles, he and junior partner Alexander Cocolas of High Bridge, N.J., have lost just one set. Dove was named Landmark Conference Player of the Week after going 6-0, 6-0 in singles and 8-0 in doubles against Penn College.
MEGAN CLERICO (POPE JOHN PAUL II) » The 5-foot-5 junior libero leads the Fairmont State women’s volleyball team with 282 digs. She’s started all 14 matches and all 53 sets for the Falcons who are 9-5 overall and 1-1 in Mountain East Conference action after defeating West Liberty 3-1 on Sept. 22 and losing to Wheeling Jesuit 3-0 on Sept. 23 in Fairmont, W. Va. Clerico had 26 digs against West Liberty and 16 against Wheeling Jesuit. She had a season-high 29 digs in a 3-1 triumph over Jefferson on Sept. 15. SABRINA ROBERTO (PERKIOMEN VALLEY) » The freshman took over as starting goalkeeper for the Widener field hockey team on Sept. 6 and the Pride has won five straight with her in front of the net. She has a 4-0 record and has given up just two goals (0.49 goals against average) with 12 saves (.857 save percentage). Roberto had three saves in a 1-0 MAC Commonwealth opening victory over Lebanon Valley on Sept. 23 and had three saves in a 1-0 non-league triumph over DeSales last Wednesday. Widener is 6-2 on the season. BRENDEN VALVERDE (DANIEL BOONE) » The freshman was named the North Eastern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season for his play with the 3-5-1 Penn State-Berks men’s soccer team. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward scored at the 88 minute mark to tie the game but the Nittany Lions dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to Arcadia on Sept. 20. Then he had a career-high 10 points with four goals and two assists in a 15-0 league victory over St. Elizabeth on Sept. 23. He added a goal in a 4-4 tie with Lebanon Valley last Wednesday and leads the league with 26 points on 11 goals and four assists.