HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College field hockey team placed three members on the All-Centennial Conference teams, the conference office announced in a release on Monday afternoon. Senior Natalie Leslie was named to the all-conference first team while juniors Danielle Rette and Stephanie Terrell were named to the second team. In addition, Terrell was also named to the CC All-Sportsmanship Team for the second time. Haverford has now had 13 Centennial Conference first team players in the history of the program with Leslie's designation to the first XI.
Leslie was a back line stalwart for the Fords in 2016 with 12 defensive saves, a mark that is good for fourth in all of NCAA Division III. Leslie leaves Haverford's program in seventh place in career defensive saves and 10th in total minutes played. The Norwalk, Conn. product scored the game winning goal for the Fords against Cabrini in the season opener on Sep. 1. The strike gave Haverford a 2-1 lead that would hold for good, setting the tone for another double-digit win season.Leslie was named PhilaFieldHockey.com Defender of the Week on September 14 after making three defensive saves against Eastern in a home contest on September 7 at Swan Field. The Fords prevailed in a 4-2 victory. Leslie also scored an insurance goal off a penalty corner in the 67th minute of the contest against the Eagles. Leslie set a new career high in shots with seven against Misericordia on Sep. 21.
Rette was integral in goal in her first full season of action in 2016, posting five shutouts and holding opponents to just a 1.82 GAA, making 108 saves while starting all 18 games. Rette's 1.79 career GAA is fifth all-time in Haverford history. The junior from New Egypt, N.J. stopped a career-best 13 shots against Rowan on September 24 and was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks in October. Rette garnered the consecutive plaudits after she posted a shutout of Johns Hopkins on Oct. 14 before a shutout of Bryn Mawr and a 10-save effort against McDaniel the folllowing week as the Fords went 3-0 in Rette's shutdown stretch. Rette becomes the first Fords goalkeeper to pick up All-Conference recognition since Rachel Levine was an honorable mention in 1995.
Terrell helped anchor the Fords throughout the season, scoring in the regular-season finale against Swarthmore before posting a goal against Dickinson in the conference playoffs first round on November 2. On the season, Terrell recorded a defensive save and fired 29 shots. An All-Sportsmanship team selection a season ago and a conference honorable mention in 2014, the midfielder from Ann Arbor, Mich. sits at 16th all-time in minutes played at Haverford going into her senior campaign.
Rachel Strow of Muhlenberg was named the Centennial Conference Player of the Year. Rookie of the year honors went to Erin Saybolt of Ursinus while the Scholar-Athlete of the Year was Emily Boyle of Muhlenberg. Mules' coach Megan Eddinger was named the conference Coach of the Year. Eddinger becomes the first to earn both first-team All-Centennial (Gettysburg 1998-99) and Coach of the Year honors.
Haverford finished the season 10-8 in 2016, making the Centennial Conference playoffs for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. The Fords have won at least 10 games in six of head coach Jackie Cox's seven seasons at the helm of the program. The Fords will now await the release of the NFHCA All-Region and All-America squads.