Trader, Minickene named NFHCA November High School Players of the Month
GENEVA, N.Y. — Kira Trader, a sophomore midfielder from Tabb High School in Virginia, and Faith Minickene, a senior goalkeeper from Daniel Hand High School in Connecticut, have earned the distinction of November’s NFHCA High School Players of the Month.
Kira Trader delivered a standout performance in the November postseason, guiding Tabb High School to its third consecutive state championship with an undefeated record. During the playoffs, Kira truly excelled by contributing 9 goals and 5 assists in the state tournament, finishing her sophomore season with 28 goals and 33 assists and tallying 11 goals and 7 assists in November. Playing a pivotal role in her team’s success, Kira achieved a hat trick in every state playoff game— three goals in the state quarterfinals, three goals in the state semifinals, and three goals in the state championship game. In recognition of her outstanding efforts, Kira earned the titles of first team all-state, first team all-region, and district player-of-the-year.
Faith Minickene secured five shutouts and victories in all five November games. As such, Minickene earned recognition as the MVP of the Southern Connecticut Conference tournament. Her outstanding performance included an impressive 22 saves in the final championship game. As a key player in the 2023 Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class M State Championship, Minickene played a pivotal role in her team’s success, contributing to a remarkable 22-0-1 season record. Notably, her defensive prowess limited the opposition to just 4 goals throughout the entire season and maintained a clean sheet in tournament play.
Honorable Mention
Alexa Blaeser, a sophomore forward from Pingree School in Massachusetts, played a pivotal role, contributing 90 percent of Pingree’s points through goals or assists, recording 7 goals and 3 assists. In the conference playoffs, she displayed remarkable performance by scoring the decisive goal in each game. Blaeser’s exceptional contributions were instrumental in guiding her team to the New England Championships.
Jenna Pigott, a junior defender from Winston Churchill High School, scored two game winners, one in the state quarterfinals and one in overtime in the state semifinals. She also had one assist and grabbed two defensive saves in the semis and the finals.
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to stimulate the professional development of coaching leadership within the sport of field hockey. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.