Player of the Week: Kristie Souder

Senior Kristie Souder's heroic late-game tying goal in the Field Hockey Conference Championship game and All-Tournament Team honors earns her this week's Player of the Week.

"I knew there wasn't much time left in the game. We had a corner, which should be a great scoring opportunity. I rushed in to get on the pads of the goalie and just redirected the ball on Alyssa Derstine's shot," said Kristie Souder.

Souder's goal came less then three minutes before the end of regulation time and put EMU into overtime with Lynchburg in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference Championships. With Souder goal tying the ODAC championship game at 2-2, EMU went on to play two scoreless fifteen minute overtimes. With the score being 2-2 and all overtimes expended, the game went into penalty strokes. Souder then scored on a stroke for the Lady Royals, but the game went to Lynchburg in penalty strokes. "This season we had some amazing games, especially this weekend against Washington & Lee, and Lynchburg. Penalty strokes aren't the best way to decide a championship but someone has to win."

Souder was a 2005 First Team All-Conference Selection by the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as well as a co-captain for the Lady Royals. She has played a vital role in the success for the field hockey team over her four-year career scoring 39 collegiate goals, including 16 tallies on her senior campaign from the central midfield position.

Kristie is majoring in special education (Learning Disabled and Mental Retardation). Although, her exact plans for when she graduates are up in the air, she plans on working in a classroom with learning disabled students after she graduates this spring. Kristie grew up in Telford, Pennsylvania where she began her field hockey career 10 years ago. She attended Christopher Dock High School and lettered in three sports including field hockey, basketball and soccer. "I picked field hockey to play in college, because that's the one I had the most talent for and liked the best," says Kristie.

Souder said of the strong performances the Lady Royals put together this fall, especially in the postseason; "This amazing 2006 EMU field hockey team has set EMU among the top again and that is a great way to end my collegiate career."