Women’s soccer goalkeeper Cassie Steinberg was named Eastern College Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 15. This is the second time she has been awarded the honor in her collegiate career. Steinberg is a Steinhardt sophomore from Boca Raton, Florida, with a major in nutrition and food studies.

“Being named ECAC player of the week was definitely a huge honor,” Steinberg said. “It was great to get recognition for my efforts this season.”

Steinberg recently recorded her sixth shutout of the year against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, Oct. 19 in a double overtime victory. This was her fourth clean sheet in six games, and she improved her record to 9-3 this season. Even in extra time, Steinberg remains as tough as ever. Three of Steinberg’s shutouts have gone into overtime and two have gone into double overtime. The Violets have not allowed more than two goals in a game, which demonstrates the effort put into their staunch defense. Steinberg has started all 14 games this season and has accumulated 37 total saves, maintaining a .787 save percentage.

The NYU defense has been a key part of the team’s success this year.

“Our head coach, Michelle Canning, has been drilling defending since before our season even started,” Steinberg said. “I think, because of that, our team has a really strong defensive base.”

The Violets have greatly improved since last year, when they finished 7-8. Both offensively and defensively, the team has controlled possession and scoring opportunities.

“I think that the main reason we are doing better is our strong team dynamic,” Steinberg said. “There is a harder work ethic this year and the freshmen that came in have played a huge role in our success.”

Freshman forward Teressa Fazio lauded both Steinberg’s skill and leadership.

“Cassie is so upbeat and so positive on and off the soccer field,” Fazio said. “She makes sure that she is giving 100 percent of her effort all the time. She is always very enthusiastic about playing. We all feel extremely confident having her.”

Freshman midfielder Stephanie Ho echoed Fazio’s sentiments about Steinberg.

“Having Cassie on the team is great because she’s such a smart and hard-working goalkeeper and is always reliable,” Ho said.

With a record of 9-4, the Violets look poised to finish the season strong and be a contender in the postseason. Steinberg does not seem to have any doubts about the team’s ability to win.

“Our team has been great this season,” Steinberg said. “The team’s amazing chemistry has played the biggest role in our success. We are all extremely close and share a common mindset of wanting to win it all. We push each other to work harder every day in our training environments and during games.”

The Violets will be back in action tomorrow, Oct. 21, against St. Joseph’s College Long Island in Patchogue, New York.

A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Oct. 21 print edition. Email Kyle Luther at [email protected].