Though she's always one of the shortest people on the field in stature, Penn State field hockey co-captain Amanda Eckert has a presence on the turf that cannot be measured.

And even though the senior midfielder has no goals or assists to her name so far this season, her contributions to this Nittany Lion team go far beyond simple statistics.

Coach Char Morett has called Eckert a calming presence on the field, but many teams have someone who can fit that bill. What sets Eckert apart is that even though she is, indeed, a calming presence, she still displays the full spectrum of emotions out on the field.

When she and a teammate suffer a breakdown of communication, and a Lion pass slowly rolls out of bounds, the disappointment is evident in her face.

In the rare instance that the senior from Lititz waits for a play to develop (instead of making something happen herself), her eyes grow wide with anticipation.

After an umpire makes what Eckert deems to be an errant call, she lets out a high-pitched grunt, with those wide eyes gazing straight in the umpire's direction.

But here's where she does justice to her reputation as a calming presence: after even the toughest of defeats, Eckert is all smiles -- cheering up downtrodden teammates, making light chatter just moments after seemingly playing her heart out with the utmost intensity.

After the game, those eyes of the competitor serve as an extension of Eckert's infectious smile. And after talking to her in the wake of a loss, one comes away thinking all is well -- the defeat that took place at Bigler Field just moments before slips out of mind, and optimism permeates the young Lions team.

If you continue looking at the now welcoming eyes and smile, you'll never be able to tell that this is the same player who has played the last two weeks with a broken thumb.

Not one to complain, Eckert shrugged off the injury, not only playing through, but not even realizing her right thumb was broken until during a game the next day.

When asked how the digit felt after Friday's game, Eckert said, "It feels pretty good. [The plastic padding device] interferes a little bit, but it's a lot better than the huge cast I had on before."

This after being replaced in the second half because Morett noticed Eckert was having trouble utilizing her normally impeccable stick handling skills in congested areas.

Eckert, whose aforementioned smile rivals that of the oft-beaming Penn State volleyball libero Kaleena Walters, is what Morett has called a coach's dream. One particular sports cliche comes to mind when watching Eckert play: she leaves everything out on the field.

Go to Penn State's final home game on Oct. 30, and you'll see for yourself -- this senior just makes things happen, and these things rarely come easily.

In any given game, Eckert can be seen splitting through defenders with her crafty stick work, feeding teammates with pristine passes or simply showing her immense desire to win.

In Friday's double overtime loss to Iowa, Eckert was relegated to the bench for the beginning of the first extra session, which is conducted with seven players instead of the usual 11. Whereas some players of her status and ability might have been concerned with not being on the field, the peppy midfielder spent her few minutes of relative inactivity being as vocal, if not more so, than her usually lively and animated coach. At one point, Morett and Eckert were standing side by side, seemingly yelling and jumping in unison.

Eckert, whom a few teammates have dubbed the most individually talented player on the squad, is probably as far from being an individual out on the field as one can get.

"You can't really be an individual out there and get things done, so you really have to be a team player," Eckert said earlier in the season.

"I feel like I'm a team player, and I'd hope that other people see me that way as well."

The eternal optimist, the two-time All-Mideast Region midfielder always seems to see the glass half full when it comes to this tough-luck Lions team.

"I think we played really well -- it wasn't as if that part wasn't there," Eckert said after Friday's 2-1 loss.

"We just couldn't put it all together and put the ball in the cage. We just have to keep going, it's the only thing we really can do," she added.

One might think that her being just 5-2 would make it difficult to spot Eckert on the field.

But all one really has to do to locate the senior leader is look for those intense, attentive eyes. And if you want to catch her off the field, just look for the smile.