Maura Phelan doesn’t seek attention.

It’s not in her nature.

The Lehighton senior will point to her teammates when asked about her play.

She will credit those around her for making any individual accomplishment possible.

Phelan is the ultimate team player.

That was never more evident than this season, when she accepted a position change without hesitation. The switch paid dividends for the Indians, who reached the District 11 final and advanced to the state playoffs for the second consecutive year.

It also helped Phelan secure Times News Field Hockey Player of the Year honors.

“It’s really great to be recognized,” said Phelan, “but I think there are a lot of people on the team also who did a great job this year, and it really takes a whole group of people to make anyone stand out.”

Phelan thrived on defense this season. Coming from her position as a midfielder, the move wasn’t an easy one. But it was one Lehighton head coach Corrine McConville knew Phelan could handle.

“It was tough. It’s always a tough decision, to play where the team needs you, and not where you would like to,” said McConville. “And she never questioned my motives. I knew she had wanted to be a midfield, but the truth of the matter is, the kid could see everything from the backfield. She has great game sense. She has field vision. She has everything we need to help lead a team.”

And that’s exactly what she did.

“Essentially, the command comes from the back. It starts all the way at the goal cage, and goes all the way forward,” said McConville. “So normally, the players in the central positions that are further back, they are able to place people in front of them, and have a bigger role in how the team sets up offensively and defensively.

“By putting her back a little further, I really kind of think she shined more than she would have in the midfield. She touched the ball so much more.”

While it took some time to adjust, the role wasn’t unfamiliar to Phelan.

“All throughout my career, I feel like I’ve been thrown around,” she said. “So in middle school, I played the forward, but with my club teams a lot I played defense. So I thought I was going to be playing further up the field with my high school team. But when I just realized coach wanted me as a defender, I knew I could step up into that position and do that.”

Phelan still made an impact on the offensive end, as evidenced by her two goals in a 2-1 district semifinal win over Saucon Valley.

Though her position changed, McConville reminded Phelan she could still make a difference at both ends of the field.

“I really think that, from the beginning, I told her, ‘Hey, a central defender is not just a central defender,”’ McConville recalled. “In field hockey, just like in soccer, you receive the ball, you pass the ball, you move all the way up the field with it. And I gave her the leeway to be a part of the offense and a part of the defense from the beginning.”

Phelan’s career started without her earning a varsity letter as a freshman.

It ended with her as the team’s co-captain and MVP. She also competed with her club team at the USA Field Hockey National Hockey Festival in Florida last month, and will continue her career at American University.

“I just think that, when you sit down and watch a game that she’s involved in, that she kind of outshines everyone else, because she works so hard,” McConville said.

“And it’s not just on the field for gameday. It’s practice after practice. It’s joining teams, joining club teams, and futures, and all of that. It’s (in) season and out of season dedication that really makes her stand out.”

A former Division 1 player and Times News Field Hockey Player of the Year while at Lehighton, McConville knows what it takes to be successful – something that’s not lost on Phelan.

“When I was younger, my mom would always take me to games with Corrine playing, and Echo Bretz, and all those people,” she said. “So I was growing up watching them play, and it was really inspiring to me, and just seeing all the success they had was really great.

“I’m really grateful to be a part of the Lehighton tradition. I get to continue my career at the Division 1 level. It’s just kind of crazy to think back on all those years, and all the former players who really stood out.”

Now, Phelan can add her name to that list.