Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell's Christa Matlack Named Patriot League Women's Soccer Preseason Player of Year
8/19/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Aug. 19, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell junior forward Christa Matlack (South Williamsport, Pa./South Williamsport Area) was named the Patriot League Women's Soccer Preseason Player of the Year on Wednesday, while her team was picked to finish third in a close vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Matlack is the Patriot League's top returning scorer entering the 2009 season. She was a First Team All-Patriot League performer last year as a sophomore, when she tallied eight goals and four assists for 20 points. Matlack ranked second in the league in both goals and points, trailing only teammate Jennifer Dervarics, and half of her goals were game-winners.
Matlack had eight goals and five assists as a freshman in 2007, giving her back-to-back 20-point seasons to start her career.
The biology major and two-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recipient is the second straight Bison player to earn preseason player of the year honors. Dervarics earned the distinction last year, and she backed it up by leading the league in scoring and going on to earn offensive player of the year plaudits at the end of the season.
Navy's Shelly Moeller was named the preseason defensive player of the year for the second straight year.
Navy was also picked as the preseason favorite in the Patriot League, capturing six of the 16 first-place votes and 90 voting points. Colgate was picked second with 83 points, even though the Raiders had the most first-place nods with seven. Bucknell picked up three first-place votes and tallied 76 points. Army (61), American (50), Lehigh (39), Holy Cross (35) and Lafayette (14) rounded out the poll.
The Bison finished 11-6-3 overall and 5-2-0 in the Patriot League last season, and they will open up their 2009 campaign on Aug. 28 against Towson at the James Madison Tournament in Harrisonburg, Va.
