Entering the 2008 season, the field hockey team has a roster almost equally balanced between experienced and untested players. The Jeffs concluded the 2007 season with a respectable overall record of 8-7 (4-5 NESCAC), which qualified them for a No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. A tough, 3-1 loss to NESCAC tournament host Williams College ended the Jeffs’ postseason in the quarterfinals, but last season’s bumps have shaped the Amherst players into grizzled veterans. The Jeffs actually outscored their opponents 35-22 in 2007, and five of their seven losses came by only one goal. With another season of experience under their belts, the Jeffs will look to turn some of those close losses into wins—hopefully all the way to the NESCAC Championships in 2008.
The field hockey team lost five solid players to graduation: defender Lauren Benson, goalie Kathleen Boucher and midfielders Christa Porcaro, Caroline Shea and Sarah Tracy. Boucher, in addition to acting as tri-captain with Benson and Porcaro, took home a NESCAC Player of the Week award, the first Jeff to do so since 2003.
The Jeffs expect not to miss a beat, however, as senior tri-captains midfielder Alyssa Dudzik and defender Catherine Calvert ’09 are ready to step into the lead positions. Dudzik was named to the All-NESCAC First Team for a second straight year in 2007, and Calvert was named to the Second Team. Amherst will open the season with four of last year’s top five leading scorers on the field—Molly Malloy ’10, Haley Douds ’10, Calvert and Dudzik. In addition, Caki Guinee ’09, Liz Schink ’11, Carly Leahy ’11 and Julie Santosuosso ’11 will make an impact in the Jeffs’ attack strategy. The backfield, meanwhile, will be anchored by senior tri-captain Louise Stevenson, Tierney Healey ’10 and Rachel Egan’11.
The team is hopeful that its rookies will contribute fresh energy and new talent. “We have a strong incoming class that I am very excited about,” said Head Coach Carol Knerr. A total of 22 players tried out for this season, and the team roster boasts 12 returning players and 10 first-years. “[The first-years] will be able to make an immediate impact” in the upcoming season, added Knerr.
Of course, the competition will be cutting-edge—especially in the NESCAC. “Every conference team provides strong competition for us,” said Knerr. “Bowdoin, Middlebury, Williams and Tufts are our strongest competitors.” The Jeffs, nevertheless, are excited to start off the new season. In Knerr’s words, the goal, as always, is to “be the best team that we can be.”