Five Maryland Field Hockey Players Named All-Americans
11/22/2005 7:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 22, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Five players from the NCAA Champion Maryland field hockey team were named Dartfish/NFHCA All-Americans, which was announced today by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Emily Beach, Lauren Powley and Paula Infante each earned first-team honors, as Powley becomes only the fourth Terrapin in school history to be honored with All-American status four times.
A senior midfielder, Lauren Powley (Mountaintop, Pa.) has been a staple on the Terrapins' midfield line. She has started every game she's played in at Maryland and only missed five games in her career, all coming this season when she went to play for the U.S. Junior National Team at the Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile. Powley helped the Americans to their best-ever finish at the tournament, placing seventh. Powley has been a member of the U.S. Under-21 team for a few years and, this summer, was called up to the Senior National Team, where she earned a starting role. Powley is 10th all-time in career assists, dishing out 31 over the last four seasons. She was a third team All-American as a freshman and has been selected to the first team the last three years. She is also a four-time NFHCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region pick and a three-time All-ACC honoree.
Junior midfielder/defender Paula Infante (Santiago, Chile) garners first-team honors for the third-straight year. Only five players in school history have been named first team All-Americans in the history of the program, including current teammate Lauren Powley. Infante has helped the defense to a No. 2 national ranking, while also helping the offense rank in the top 15. Her 13 goals are second on the team and 30 points are third-most. Infante was named the ACC's 2005 Defensive Player of the Year, earning All-ACC honors for the third time, as well.
Senior co-captain Emily Beach (Bethesda, Md.) garners All-American nods for the first time in her career. Since transferring from the University of Virginia, she has started every game in the backfield the past two seasons. This season, the defense posted nine shutouts, including three in the NCAA Tournament. The defense ranks second in the nation, boasting a 1.01 goals against average. Beach was also named Mid-Atlantic All-Region and All-ACC earlier this season. She ends her career with 10 goals, 19 assists and 39 points. She's also scored three game-winning tallies in her career.
Senior forward Jackie Ciconte (Wilmington, Del.) wraps up her career having scored the game-winning goal in the finals of the NCAA Tournament. This season, she has recorded a team-high and career-best 20 goals, tied for the fifth-most in a season by a Terrapin in school history. She ranks in the top five in the nation in goals and goals per game (1.25). Named to the All-NCAA Tournament team for the first time in her career in Louisville, Ky., she earns second team All-American honors for the second time, garnering the honor in 2003.
Sophomore goalkeeper Kathryn Masson (Richmond, British Columbia) was selected to the third team, the first time she has earned national postseason honors. A National Player of the Week by www.womensfieldhockey.com after posting a career-high 14 saves in the 2-0 regular season victory over Duke, she leads the nation with an impressive 0.91 goals against average. She is also in the top 15 in save percentage at .770. Masson started the season splitting time in the goal cage, but eventually took over on a full-time basis, starting in 18 games overall. She has posted seven solo shutouts, becoming the first goalkeeper in the history of the NCAA Tournament to not register a save in the NCAA finals.
At least three Terps have been named All-American for the 15th-straight year. The five selections are the most since 2000 when six were voted All-Americans.
Under the direction of 18th-year head coach Missy Meharg, the Terps captured their fourth NCAA title and the first since 1999. The Terrapins defeated Duke for the third-straight time, 1-0, to claim the crown.
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