Christiansen leads NSA All-TCIS honorees

Published 7:54 pm Tuesday, December 8, 2015

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior center back Paige Christiansen, left, earned her inaugural spot on the All-TCIS first team for field hockey after a standout performance this season.

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy junior center back Paige Christiansen, left, earned her inaugural spot on the All-TCIS first team for field hockey after a standout performance this season.

Junior Paige Christiansen headlined a trio of all-conference honorees from Nansemond-Suffolk Academy’s field hockey team in the wake of the squad’s 2015 campaign.

Christiansen made her debut on the All-Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools first team, while sophomore Morgan Morrell and freshman Lauren Meyers made the second team.

“I was very excited for those girls that earned all-conference honors,” Lady Saints coach Ashley Skinner said.

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Building on her 2014 performance that netted her an All-TCIS second team selection, Christiansen significantly impacted her team this season in a unique position that allowed her to contribute at both ends of the field.

“She was our center back, but she played an offensive center back, I’ll say that,” Skinner said. “Technically, the way that I position them, I consider our center back to be a midfield position.”

Christiansen finished the season with 13 goals and four assists.

“She’s our key ball distributor on the field,” Skinner said. “She finds passing lanes all the way down the field. She has a great deal of patience and poise when she carries the ball, and it allows her to eliminate defenders when she’s dribbling, and ultimately, she was a major contributor to our offensive attacking team as well as our defensive corner team. So I think that it was easy to pick her out of our team and just notice how much she benefits us.”

Skinner described Christiansen as the anchor to the Lady Saints who has been a varsity star since eighth grade.

Aiding center forward Morgan Morrell in drawing a second-team honor was her offensive production this season that included nine goals and six assists.

Left forward Lauren Meyers registered six goals and six assists this year.

“She was the only freshman on second team all-conference,” Skinner said.