Field Hockey | 11/10/2021 10:00:00 AM

TROY, N.Y. - The Liberty League has announced its year-end major award winners and All-League honorees in field hockey and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) had five student-athletes recognized, led by junior midfielder Brianna Duba, who was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Duba (Harwinton, CT / The Ethel Walker School) was also named to the conference's First Team, while four teammates were also tabbed. Senior Jessie House (Saratoga Springs, NY / Saratoga Springs) was chosen to the Second Team and Nina Caprio (Gilbertsville, PA / Boyertown Area), Kaitlyn Stulen (Houston, TX / Memorial) and Jen Richardson (Haymarket, VA / Battlefield) were each Honorable Mention selections. 

In 17 games, Duba helped the Engineers post nine wins, including six by shutout and three while allowing one goal. The opposition averaged only 1.35 goals on 10.4 shots, 5.5 of which were on goal. Individually, Duba had one defensive save while registering seven goals and eight assists for 22 points. She led the team in assists, points, shots (72), shots on goal (38) and game-winning goals (3). She had at least one point in 11 games and multiple shots on goal in 12. The civil engineering major was All-Liberty League Second Team and All-Region Second Team in 2019.

House, an attack, collected All-Conference recognition after tallying five goals with three assists for 13 points, all of which were third on the Engineers. She was second with 30 shots and 19 shots on goal. She had one game-winning goal and scored single goals in five different games. House registered at least three points twice. The psychological science and communication, media and design dual major, started 15 of the 16 games in which she played.

A freshman attack, Caprio had a team-high nine goals with two of them game-winners. She scored two goals three times - consecutively in mid-October - and put 12 of her 18 shot attempts on the cage. The civil engineering major finished with 18 points in 17 games, 10 of which she started. 

Stulen, a senior midfielder, started 16 of 17 games played and registered five assists, which was second on the squad. She had a point in five different contests and had four of her 10 shots on goal. An architecture major, she is expected to compete for the Engineers in 2022.

The team's starting goalie, Richardson had 61 saves, a 1.32 goals against average and a .729 save percentage in 1043:01 over 17 games. She recorded three shutouts individually and three more combined with a teammate. The junior computer science major allowed fewer than two goals in 10 games and made at least five saves in seven contests.

RPI, which is coached by Bre Lowe, went 8-3 over its final 11 games, including 4-3 in league competition. The Engineers finished in a tie for second place.