Heading into her freshman season on the Lock Haven women's soccer team, Haylee Kubat just wanted to prove herself to her fellow Bald Eagles.

After learning the ropes in her first season, Kubat has blossomed into one of the team's most consistent players.

Kubat, a 2012 graduate of Northwestern Lehigh High School, appeared in four games as a freshman. But during her sophomore campaign that recently came to an end, Kubat saw action in all 18 of the Bald Eagles' games, including 12 starts at the midfield position.

"Proving yourself is the biggest hurdle, I think, of any freshman," Kubat said. "Your coach and your teammates don't really know how you play. The coaches have seen you play a few times, but especially the girls coming in, they've never seen me play.

"The first thing you want to do is just prove yourself to let them know, 'hey I'm a good player just like you guys [and] I'm here to help out the team.'"

Kubat played in 48 minutes of game time in her first season, but recorded 1,236 minutes as a sophomore. She also recorded five shots (one on goal) for the Bald Eagles.

"I just think it took me a year to get acclimated and get comfortable with the style of play the team played in," Kubat said. "Once I felt comfortable and my coach would see my confidence, then that's why she tried me out in the field. And she is happy with me there."

Interim head coach Lynnette Reitz entered her first season with the Bald Eagles in 2013 after the team went 6-7-4 (3-7-4 in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) in 2012. With a new formation by Reitz, Kubat fit into one midfield position nicely.

"She moved the field around a little bit and the positions around," Kubat said. "I fit into the spot the way the formation is played."

Kubat, who also played the midfield position during her career at Northwestern, relies on her conditioning and endurance throughout a long season such as one that just ended.

She recorded 90-plus minutes of field time in nine games this season, including two games with over 100 minutes logged.

"I have good endurance, and obviously that's what the midfield is about," Kubat said. "Primarily it's a lot of running."

Coming into Lock Haven, Kubat didn't know how the transition would be moving to collegiate level. While she admits it's been a tough journey, she understands all the hard work and dedication is worth it in the end.

"Coming in as a freshman, I wasn't really sure what to expect," said Kubat. "In the first day of preseason, I knew it was going to be so different than high school. It's a different level. It's faster and the girls are much bigger.

"Starting my sophomore year, I had a year under my belt so I felt a little bit more experienced and a little bit more comfortable."