Bergman, Altepeter & Cirera Take MAAC Field Hockey Weekly Awards
MAAC Sports
Offensive Player of the Week
Liz Bergman, Sacred Heart
Jr., M, 5’5, Blandon, Pa./Fleetwood Area
Bergman scored both game-winners for the Pioneers during their 2-0 week, as well as recording all three of their goals. Bergman’s first game-winner came at Siena on Friday afternoon with 4:23 remaining on the clock. After a Saints foul just outside the circle, Bergman controlled the ball, got around a defender, and sent a shot from the top of the circle that beat the goalie and gave Sacred Heart a 1-0 advantage. Two days later in her final game as a Pioneer at Campus Field, she scored both the opener and game-winner as Sacred Heart defeated Rider 2-1. The opener came in the seventh minute from a shot off of a penalty corner to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. After Rider equalized shortly after, Bergman put Sacred Heart ahead once again in the 33rd minute. She regained the ball after having one of her shots blocked in the middle of the circle and was able to fire another shot that found the back of the net for a 2-1 lead. The three goals put Bergman in a tie for the team-lead in both goals and points, as she now has five goals and 14 points on the year.
Defensive Player of the Week
Mary Altepeter, Sacred Heart
Jr., GK, 5’9, Chesterfield, Mo./Visitation Academy
Altepeter posted a 2-0 record for the week as she manned the net for Sacred Heart in both games over the weekend. She recorded four saves and posted a 0.64 goals against average during the two games, as well as recording her second shutout of the season in the Pioneers 1-0 victory over Siena on Friday. Altepeter has been in net for all 16 of Sacred Hearts’ games this season, posting a 9-7 record, 88 saves, and a 1.88 goals against average for the year.
Rookie of the Week
Gemma Cirera, Quinnipiac
Fr., F, 5’8, Barcelona, Spain/Tecnos
The Bobcats’ rookie knocked in her second goal of the season on Sunday as she placed her stick down at the far post on a Quinnipiac penalty corner and deflected home a strong pass from Danielle Allan at the wing to make it 1-0 Bobcats early over the Monmouth Hawks. Cirera now leads all Quinnipiac freshmen with two goals while she did so in just her sixth career start.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
The MAAC, headquartered in Edison, N.J., consists of 11 member institutions for 2014: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University and Siena College. For more on the conference please visit, www.maacsports.com. Be sure to follow the MAAC on Facebook and Twitter: @MAACSports.