It’s a position not many want to play.

But for Northwestern’s Cara Thomas, it became her home on the field.

Not only did the Tiger senior find a comfort level at the left forward spot, but she set a school record for goals and helped lead her team to multiple championships.

“I’ve been the left starting forward for four years,” said Thomas. “I really found my rhythm on that side of the field. Normally, the left side in field hockey is considered the side that no one wants to play on, but I was put there as a freshman and I truly enjoyed playing there. In practice when they’d switch me to the other side, I was always like, ‘No, I want to go back to the left.’ I just really learned to love it there and worked well with my team there.

“Our sticks, we can only use our right side, so it’s harder. It’s more natural to play on the right. But you can find ways around it.”

Thomas used her natural athletic ability to not only play on the left side, but excel.

The senior scored 29 goals this season, second on the team, and added nine assists. She also broke the school record for goals in a career, finishing with 85.

Two of her goals came during a 3-0 win in the Colonial League championship game, while she also tallied in the District 11 title game, which was won by Northwestern.

All that resulted in Thomas being named the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Field Hockey Player of the Year.

“I was definitely excited (when I found out about the award),” said Thomas. “I think it just goes to show, it represents our program and the progress we’ve made. It’s an honor to represent our team and be that player.

“I truly don’t focus on individual goals. It was all team-oriented. I wanted really to win leagues and districts, while our other team goal was to win our first state game, which we fell short of in overtime ... Obviously some individual success did come with that, but it just kind of came with the team success.”

Tiger head coach Lissa Opolsky recognized Thomas’ talents as an incoming freshman and felt she was a fit where few want to be — for more than just scoring.

“She definitely possesses a lot of intangible things that make her really successful on the field,” said Opolsky. “Her speed, her understanding from playing so many sports and being naturally athletic lends itself for her to use those types of things to her advantage. Over the four years, she definitely has gotten better. She’s gotten used to the left side, which is not super easy to play offensively, so it’s been quite the ride, and very fun to see her progress.

“I like to make sure we play really good defense from our first line on back ... she was really able to create problems over on that left side where the defense and the other team’s opposition is trying to come up that right side of the field. So it was a good balance of being able to use her to our advantage, but also at the same time when we were playing against some good teams, she was able to kind of stymie their abilities as well.”

Thomas admits that basketball is her favorite sport, but she’s grown to love field hockey over the years.

She started playing in seventh grade when her friend and teammate, Ella Dangello, encouraged her to play.

“I was going to wait until eighth grade to play but then I decided to come out in seventh, and I’m really happy with that decision,” said Thomas. “I played basketball my whole life, but my older sister played field hockey, so I kind of knew about it and had watched her play. I would say (basketball) is my first love, but I also love this sport. The coaches and my teammates have made it so special for me.”

One area where Thomas stood out was her drive. No matter what sport she plays, she always plays to win.

“I’m a very competitive person, so I think that’s what drives me a lot,” she said. “If we’re down by one ... I just try to turn it on and I become aggressive. I take the extra step and do whatever it takes to help my team. And I’ve always been like that. I really hate to lose.”

Her coach has seen that same approach for four seasons.

“She likes to play fast, she’s a physical player and she won’t back down from going up against someone maybe a little bit more skilled or has more experience in field hockey than her,” said Opolsky. “And her competitive drive really sets her apart. She wants to be the one to carry the team on her shoulders when she can.”

Thomas won’t be carrying the load anymore in a Tiger uniform, and it appears she won’t be doing it at the collegiate level either.

As of now, she plans to focus on academics instead of athletics.

And while she’ll always be able to reflect on championships and records, that won’t be her fondest memory.

“I think the connection I built with my senior class (is what I’ll remember most),” said Thomas. “We just became our own friend group ... and that’s an amazing thing that happens in sports, it brings people together. I’m really grateful that field hockey gave me these friends, and just winning alongside them is a credit to Coach Opolsky for creating an environment where we could have fun together and enjoyed our time together. I think that will be my biggest memory, just those connections and those friendships that hopefully will last a lifetime.”