Player Spotlight: Stephanie Fazenbaker

Forward Stephanie Fazenbaker is a leader on and off the field for her teammates. She is a vocal and encouraging voice in the locker room and an impassioned leader on the field. Fazenbaker is winding down on her outstanding career here at Frostburg State University, but that doesn’t mean that she is going to leave quietly. Fazenbaker picked right up from where she left off last season, as she continued to dominate the game of soccer. In the past two seasons, Fazenbaker has led the team in both goals and points.

Fazenbaker’s 14 goals and 6 assists was good for second place in both categories. Her 34 points this season had her third overall in the CAC and her 70 shot attempts placed her in 4^th place. Placement in these offensive categories is nothing new for Fazenbaker, since she appeared in the top 5 of these categories last season as well.

In only her second year here at FSU, Fazenbaker was part of the 2012 team that won the CAC title. To Fazenbaker it was an unbelievable feeling that she hoped to feel again the next season, but things didn’t work out in the teams favor last season. Fazenbaker explained, “Some things just didn’t work out for us last season. Games just didn’t swing our way.” This season though, Fazenbaker explained that the team as a whole was much more motivated and she thinks that was the biggest difference between last season and this season.

Even though the team won the CAC title in what is Fazenbaker’s final year here at the school, and the feeling of riding off into the sunset as a champion is great, to Fazenbaker she didn’t focus on the fact that she’s a senior. Fazenbaker wanted to give back to her teammates, so every day in practice she demonstrated her leadership skills so that the younger members of the team can have the chance to experience what the 2012 team felt when they won the CAC title. Fazenbaker stated, “That was what motivated me the most this season, because I knew that we have the players and talent to make it happen.” She did go on to say that winning the championship in her final year is a story that she will tell her children and grandchildren as she gets older.

This season alone, Frazenbaker was named CAC player of the week and ECAC player of the week twice. She has also been named to the All-CAC team this season, for the third straight year. Last, but certainly not least, Fazenbaker has been selected to the Capital One Academic All-District II women’s soccer team, also for the third year in a row. Fazenbaker’s accomplishments through her four years here at Frostburg State University will certainly be remembered as she is one of the most decorated athletes in the school’s history. She has left her mark not only on the university, but the game of soccer as well.