Already among the top scoring forwards in Lisbon High School field hockey history, Collier can now say she’s among the best all-around players Maine has ever had to offer.
Friday afternoon, the Lisbon senior found out she was a finalist for the Miss Maine Field Hockey award, awarded annually to a well-rounded senior who has displayed excellence in skill, sportsmanship and leadership both on and off the field. She is the first player from Lisbon to ever be named a finalist.
“She was just stunned,” Lisbon coach Julie Petrie said. “I thought she was going to cry. She’s been a key contributor for us all four years here, and it’s really nice to see her get the accolades. She’s been involved in some big games for us.”
Collier joins York High School star midfielder Lily Posternak and Belfast High School forward Kylie Nelson on the list of finalists.
“She’s one of the most humble athletes we’ve had here,” Petrie said. “That’s why I am so excited for her. I am sure she enjoys it, but she works so hard for everything she has. She’s always been about what’s best for the team, not what’s best for her.”
A four-year varsity player, Collier scored 15 goals and added nine assists this season, bringing her career totals to 36 goals and 20 assists. She was a Mountain Valley Conference second-team selection as a sophomore, and has earned first-team honors each of the past two seasons. She was a Maine Field Hockey Association all-state selection in 2015, as well, and is this year’s MVC player of the year.
“This year has been different, but in a good way,” Petrie said. “There’s a younger group around her, so she’s had to be patient. She’s not a flashy scorer, but she does so much more, all over the field.
“And she’s doing it with people all over her,” Petrie added. “There have been games where she has two, three even four people on her at some points.”
Nelson set a career scoring record at Belfast this season, scoring 31 goals to bring her total to 90 in four seasons, to go with 37 career assists. She was the KVAC Class B Player of the Year in 2015 and also an MFHA all-state player.
Posternak has set school records at York for both goals (77) and assists (50) in four years as a starter for the Wildcats. She has been a first-team Western Maine Conference player for three consecutive years (likely a fourth this season), and has been an MFHA all-state selection three years running, as well.
In addition to her accolades in Maine, Posternak played in the USFHA Junior Olympics in 2013 and 2014, played on the USFHA Jr. National Team in 2014, and is a USFHA U-19 National Team selection in 2016.
The winner of the award will be announced at the MFHA’s annual awards celebration on Sunday, Dec. 4.
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