Fans Vote Sargent As Eagles ‘Player of the Year’

Eagles fans have spoken (and clicked!): Columbus goalkeeper Hannah Sargent is the club’s 2018 “Player of the Year.” Sargent capped her stellar Eagles season by earning 29.1 percent of the nearly 2,000 votes cast in the week-long poll. 

Eagles’ forward Erin Brockway finished second with 25.4 percent of the vote. Eryn Weber (19.5 percent), captain Amber Kern (4.65 percent), and defender Adison Preston (3.85 percent) rounded out the top five in voting.

Sargent had the best season ever for an Eagles’ goalkeeper, starting every WPSL match in net and recording four clean sheets. She allowed only one goal at home all season and was in net for the majority of the 261 scoreless minutes that Columbus strung together between June 10 and July 8. Sargent showcased her talents on many occasions in 2018, but none bigger than the save she made in the dying minutes of the Eagles’ 2-2 draw at FC Pride.

Sargent’s great work in net helped the Eagles finish second in the WPSL’s Ohio Valley division, with the second-best defensive record in the division. Her seven goals conceded and 0.875 goals against average is a club record, as is the four clean sheets. The Lewis Center, Ohio, native is a sophomore at Western Michigan University and at 19 years old is one of the youngest players on Columbus’s roster.

Sargent’s season in Kalamazoo kicks off Wednesday when the Broncos host Valparaiso at 5 p.m.