La Salle women's soccer goalie Sanger having career year

One decision made all the difference for the nationally ranked La Salle women's soccer team.

At the beginning of last season, goalkeeper Melissa Sanger, from Kingsway Regional, had a big decision to make. She could play the 2010 season and graduate with her class or she could redshirt, stick around for the 2011 campaign and earn her master's degree.

"At first I was a little hesitant because I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, wasn't sure if I really wanted to sit out," Sanger said.

After talking to her coaches, her parents and other business majors at La Salle, Sanger decided she couldn't pass up the opportunity to go to graduate school, so she spent last season practicing with her team but spending game days on the bench.

"As much as it wasn't fun - not being able to play - I was able to sit on the sideline and see from a different perspective everything that was happening on the field," she said. "Kind of see it from a coach's perspective."

More than a year later, Sanger and the Explorers are unbeaten - a program best 15-0-3 - and the No. 1 seed heading into the Atlantic 10 tournament in Dayton, Ohio. La Salle has a bye into Friday's semifinals and will play at 5 p.m. against the lowest remaining seed after Thursday's opening-round games.

Sanger has given up six goals all season, the first of which didn't come until the 12th game. She has started all 18 regular-season games for La Salle, which is ranked No. 23 by Soccer America and receives the most votes for a non-ranked team in the NCAA poll. Her numbers are dominant: 0.33 goals-against average, 13 shutouts, 62 saves on 162 shots faced. Her 38 career wins are a school record.

"Since I've come to La Salle, every year working with [head coach] Paul [Royal] I have seen every aspect of my game improve," Sanger said. "But even this year I have more confidence in myself."

The Explorers have outscored opponents, 41-6, and outshot them, 266-161. Offensively, they are led by freshman Kelsey Haycook (16 goals, 4 assists), whose goals are the second most in a single season in program history, and sophomore Renee Washington (10 goals, 5 assists).

"I just came in trying to work hard and to find my place on the team," Haycook said. "I guess it worked."

"We all work really well together and it's just our chemistry as a team," she added.

The Explorers went 7-0-2 in conference play, tying their last two regular-season games at Rhode Island and Fordham. In both those contests they were trailing, 1-0, before evening the score late.

"It's a lot of pressure on us to do well and win because it would be a big disappointment to not do well," Washington said. "We came from being the underdogs and being overlooked by other teams last year, so we know that anybody on any given day can give us a run for our money."

A-10 awards: The school announced Thursday that Royal was named coach of the year, Sanger was named the defensive player of the year, and Haycook was named rookie of the year, in voting by the league's head coaches. Sanger, Washington, Haycook and defender Jess Hopton were named first-team all-A-10.