Despite the fact that more than half the team is new to college, Georgetown field hockey has high hopes for the 2009 season. The squad welcomes eight freshmen to its ranks, as well as new head coach Tiffany Marsh and assistant coach Emily Beach. Both joined the team as interim coaches during the first week of August last season.
“Last year was a unique situation, coming in midseason” Marsh said. “With any kind of transition with coaching and then entering such a tough conference, there is going to be a little bit of rebuilding. This year can be considered that. But we will be more successful than a typical rebuilding year.”
Each of the eight first-years boasts an impressive high school resume. Hope Battista, a freshman defender from Maryland, was named the 2007 Washington Post and Baltimore Sun All-Met Player of the Year. Marsh hopes to get immediate contributions from her talented group of freshmen—four or five will be starters this season.
The team hopes to improve on last year’s disappointing 2-15 record and winless conference performance.
“This year I think the talent of our incoming class combined with the remaining players that we have coming back could surprise a few people in the Big East,” Marsh said.
Veteran players will still play important roles. Under upper-class leadership, the team hopes to develop into a cohesive force both on and off the field.
“It’s a great team environment, better than it honestly has been in the past few years,” senior forward Maggie Farrand said. “I think we meld as people better. We have a lot of the same kind of people, same kind of players, and I think that is great for a team.”
The team played a scrimmage game against the Junior FC Club on Tuesday and came out on top, 5-2.
In the backfield, the defensive line is composed entirely of freshmen and sophomores. For the Hoyas, however, youth does not appear to be a barrier to their confidence.
“We are playing some very difficult teams,” Annika Bannon said. “I think that will pose a challenge for us because they have probably more experience than we do but I do feel that we are working very hard to create a cohesive line and take care of all the potential weaknesses that we might have.”
Not only are the Hoyas in line to face off against tough Big East contenders, but their schedule also includes meetings with the NCAA Champions from the University of North Carolina and runner-up Penn State.
The Hoyas head to Ohio to take on Ohio University this Saturday, followed by a match-up with Saint Louis on Sunday.
