By Bobby Neal for App State Sports. CLEVELAND, Ohio — App State field hockey earned a cumulative nine postseason Mid-American Conference awards, the conference announced on Thursday.
Meghan Dawson was named Coach of the Year, and Friederike Stegen was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year. Stegen and Anna Smarrelli were named first-team All-MAC, while Pauline Mangold, Sarah Farrell and Addie Clark were named second-team All-MAC. Lise Boekaar and Henriette Stegen were named to the All-MAC freshman team.
“I am so proud of our group for all the awards they have earned,” Dawson said. “The individuals that have gotten recognized have been working hard all year to make our group better. I always tell our team that anytime someone gets an individual award, it represents all the hard work our entire group has done. All of these awards and recognitions show how strong our team is, the work they’ve done all season, and the strong mentality they have held all season long.”
Meghan Dawson – MAC Coach of the Year
Dawson has led the Mountaineers to their most wins since the Jan Watson era, tallying 13 wins and achieving a conference record of 5-2, the best they have had since entering the MAC. After starting the season 4-5, Dawson flipped the script, earning nine straight wins to close the regular season, the squad’s second-longest winning streak of all time. The Mountaineers went 8-1 at home and came within one goal of defeating No. 16 Duke and No. 15 Wake Forest on the road.
Friederike Stegen – MAC Offensive Player of the Year
Stegen led the App State offense to its most successful season since 1981 by attaining a conference-leading 30 points, made up of 12 goals and six assists. Stegen’s dynamic abilities have forced opposing defenses to strategize against her all season. Yet, she scored against both of the top two teams in the MAC this year and assisted the crucial double-overtime goal against Ball State to keep the Mountaineers in the race for a tournament seed. The Germany native also had four assists in one game, the second-most by anyone in the nation this season. Against an impressive Rider team, Stegen proved her skill by dribbling through defenders to score the game-winner in double-overtime. Finally, the midfielder is ranked ninth or better in the MAC in every offensive category.
Friederike Stegen, Anna Smarrelli – First-Team All-MAC
Smarrelli scored nine goals and two game-winners this season, the sixth-most in the MAC in each category. The graduate student forced overtime against No. 16 Duke and also had the diving goal that ended the double-overtime thriller against Ball State to keep App State alive in the race for a spot in the tournament.
Pauline Mangold, Sarah Farrell, Addie Clark – Second-Team All-MAC
Mangold facilitated a high clip of App State’s offense this year, scoring seven goals and assisting eight, combining for 22 points, the sixth-highest in the MAC. Her assist rate was the third highest in the conference and the senior also had three game-winning goals. In the midfield, Mangold rarely subbed out. She averaged 58 minutes per game as a catalyst for App State’s nine-game win streak.
Farrell had a career season for App State this year by scoring seven goals and earning two game-winners, ranking in the top 10 in the MAC for each category. Most notably, Farrell punched the Mountaineers’ ticket to the conference tournament by scoring the game-winner against Ohio. The senior also had three games with two goals this season, two being against MAC opponents. Farrell won Offensive Player of the Week in October for her two goals against Longwood.
Clark was a two-time Defensive Player of the Week this season for her career year in the cage. The senior led the MAC in shutouts with a whopping six and had a save percentage of .792, the second-most in the conference and the eighth-best clip in the nation. Also, her goals allowed average of 1.05 is the eighth lowest in the nation. Clark never allowed more than three goals in a game and had 11 games with one or fewer goals allowed.
Lise Boekaar, Henriette Stegen – All-MAC Freshman Team
Boekaar scored three goals on five shots this season, leading the Mountaineers in shot percentage at 60%. She also had four assists and 15 starts, including eight starts during App State’s historic nine-game winning streak. The freshman averaged 46 minutes per game to help the Black & Gold to its 13 wins.
Henriette Stegen had an impressive freshman season, scoring four goals and earning a shot-on-goal percentage of .850. Stegen scored against the No. 15 Demon Deacons and earned her biggest goal of the season against Ohio when the Mountaineers clinched their spot in the MAC Tournament by defeating the Bobcats, 2-1.
UP NEXT
The Mountaineers will face Kent State in their semifinal game of the MAC Tournament on Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Oxford, Ohio. The winner will play against either Miami or Ball State in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m.
All-MAC First Team
Friederike Stegen, App State
Anna Smarrelli, App State
Fleur Knopert, Ball State
Amber Hofenk Jerembo, Bellarmine
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Maria Cambra Soler, Kent State
Luli Rosso, Miami
Claudia Garcia Negrete, Miami
Macy McHale, Miami
Mijntje Ligentberg, Ohio
GK: Isabelle Perese, Miami
All-MAC Second Team
Pauline Mangold, App State
Sarah Farrell, App State
Kate Biglin, Central Michigan
Alice O’Hagan, Central Michigan
Maia Sarrabayrouse, Kent State
Iris Bekker, Kent State
Maroussia Walckiers, Longwood
Paula Navarro, Miami
Paula Pena Martinez, Miami
Katelyn Whittle, Ohio
GK: Addie Clark, App State
All-MAC Freshman Team
Lise Boekaar, App State
Henriette Stegen, App State
Fleur Knopert, Ball State
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Maia Sarrabayrouse, Kent State
Iris Bekker, Kent State
Paula Navarro, Miami
Mijntje Ligtenberg, Ohio
Coach of the Year
Meghan Dawson, App State
Defensive Player of the Year
Maria Cambra Soler, Kent State
Offensive Player of the Year
Friederike Stegen, App State
Goalkeeper of the Year
Isabelle Perese, Miami
Co-Freshmen of the Year
Patricia Strunk, Kent State
Mijntje Ligtenberg, Ohio
