Teams: Field Hockey: Press Releases

Monday, November 13, 2006

WATKINS PICKED ALL-NEW ENGLAND WEST FIRST TEAM BY NFHCA

MEDFORD -- Tufts University's Stacey Watkins (St. Louis, MO/John Burroughs) is one of 16 players selected to the 2006 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) New England West Region First Team that was announced today.

This is the second straight year that Watkins has been named as a NFHCA regional all-star, including last season. Last week, she garnered All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) First Team honors. It was her second appearance on the All-Conference teams.

Watkins was the epitome of senior leadership for head coach Tina McDavitt's Jumbos this year. She was leading contributor offensively and defensively, and joined fellow co-captain Marilyn Duffy-Cabana (Amesbury, MA/Amesbury) as leaders of a team that posted the best record at Tufts in eight years.

With four goals and six assists for 14 points this fall, Watkins contributed to an offense whose 35 goals scored were the most by the team since the 1996 season. The striker on offensive corners, her booming shot helped the Jumbos scored 13 times on corner opportunities.

The backbone of the defense and post player on defensive corners, she led the Jumbos with four defensive saves and contributed to six shutouts and a 1.16 team goals against average. Down the stretch, when Tufts had to win games to earn a home berth into the NESCAC Tournament, Watkins and the rest of the Jumbo defense posted shutout wins over #4 Williams College, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England champion Endicott and Connecticut College.

Tufts, which hosted a NESCAC Tournament game for the first time and defeated Trinity 2-1, finished 11-5 overall. That's the best Jumbo mark since the 1998 squad went 11-4.

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