By Connor Mankouski – 1851 Staff

Samantha Taylor earned GNAC First Team All-Conference honors after tallying 45 points this season. Photo by Connor Mankouski

Samantha Taylor, the starting center forward for the women’s field hockey team, has received her first GNAC Player of the Week Award. The sophomore received the honor for the week of October 24 after she helped the team with a 2-1 week. Taylor had an out of conference goal and a hat trick in a conference game solidifying the team as the number one seed in the conference and earning them a bye in the postseason. 

Taylor says she feels honored that she received the award as a sophomore, but feels challenged. “Now I feel like that one girl that the other teams will know about,” said Taylor. Taylor says the GNAC Player of the Week accolade trumps three Rookie of the Week awards Taylor received her freshmen year.

Taylor helped the team make it to the GNAC finals. When asked about the championship game, Taylor said, “I kept hearing ‘Stay on 11, stay on 11,’” and she was “face-guarded” throughout the game which meant it was hard for her to control the ball in center forward. The team ultimately lost 3-0 to Saint Joseph’s (ME.), but finished with a 16-4 record after making it to the finals for the first time in the program’s history.

Taylor finished the season with 17 goals and 11 assists, totaling 45 points, as well as a spot on the GNAC First Team All-Conference. It is clear that Taylor has a bright future with Lasell College field hockey. Taylor looks forward to training over the winter and starting up with the Lasell College women’s lacrosse team.