As Moravian College's field hockey team's regular season recently came to an end, Andrea Eck obviously was disappointed about her squad just missing an invite to the postseason. Yet, the former Catasauqua standout is also disheartened about her collegiate career reaching its climax.

Over the past four seasons, though, Eck knew she made the right choice to continue her field hockey career in Bethlehem.

"It was sad that we didn't make the playoffs," said Eck about her squad that finished with an overall 9-8 record.

"But this was a great experience for me here. My parents were able to watch me play and they came to every game. It is a little weird knowing that my field hockey career here is over.

"I really came to appreciate the chance to play here and to play in college."

During her freshman year, Eck saw action in eight games and had an overall 1-2 mark with eight saves. The following season, Eck started all 17 games for the Greyhounds and recorded an overall mark of 9-8 with 1.57 goals against average, 89 saves and a .774 save percentage in over 1,100 minutes of action.

In a battle with a senior goalie during her junior year, Eck saw action in five games and had a 2.21 GAA mark.

This fall, she was a mainstay in the nets as she started all 17 games with a 1.85 GAA, 77 saves and a .720 save percentage.

Through the years, Eck noted the familiarity with new players and the overall speed and action as her biggest adjustments to the collegiate game.

"Getting to know all the other girls on the team took some time," she recalled. "We have players coming from all over the area and I did know some of them. We had to figure out how we all reacted to each other out there.

"But it really didn't take that long and we all soon bonded and grew as players."

Head coach Amy Endler also watched Eck mature over the years.

"She really worked on her game and grew over the past four years," said Endler. "She became pretty solid in goal for us."

Playing basketball and softball growing up, Eck began playing field hockey in seventh grade and has had a love affair with the sport ever since. Her older sister, Patricia, graduated from Moravian in 2010 and also was a member of the field hockey team there, and she also played field hockey and softball at Catty. Parents Bob and Carol have also helped build a solid foundation for her.

"I knew I wanted to play the sport as soon as I could," she stated. "But now I know I want to keep playing. I also want to see if I can start coaching somewhere. Playing in college gave me more confidence about my overall game and I really gained more experience and knowledge about the sport. I'd like to do everything I can to stay involved with it."

Along with pursuing field hockey, Eck plans to begin a career in sociology after majoring in the field that kept her as a regular member of the Landmark Conference Academic Honor Roll while at Moravian. She has worked with Valley Youth House as a counselor with youths dealing with autism and other disorders and would like to continue that path in the future.