Sports

Field hockey looks to continue winning ways

By Erich Wohl '18

The Hamilton Women’s Field Hockey team enters the 2016 season with hopes of improving upon their success from last year. In 2015, the Continentals had their first winning record since 2010 (9-7) and made the NESCAC quarterfinals, but suffered a first round playoff loss to field hockey powerhouse Middle-
bury. The team returns several key contributors from last year and isin good position to improve.

The Continentals graduated just two seniors and return a strong, veteran base. Five rising seniors return for the team this year, including All-American Eva Rosencrans’17. Rosencrans ranks second all-time with 37 goals in her Hamilton career and is within striking distance of becoming the highest scoring player in Hamilton college history.

The returning upperclassmen provide mental toughness and bring a veteran presence to the team. Aly Skelly ’18 says, “our team is full of leaders this year who bring energy and set great examples for the younger players.” Also returning are starters Emma Anderson ’17, Merisa Dion ’17, Margaret Revera ’18, and Liz Wagenbach ’18. Seven new players will join the fold and promise to become immediate contributors: Olivia Northrop ’20, Elisa Taylor ’20, Anna Scutt ’19, Marykate McNeil ’20, Sammy Johnson ’20, Michaela Giuttari ’20, and Lizzie Clarke ’20.

The team is looking to be a contender this year in the NESCAC, historically one of the best Division III conferences in the sport. The Continentals believe they can be one of the top teams in the conference as many of their conference losses last year came in close, overtime contests. Coach Gillian McDonald is confident the team can win those close games this year: “We had a couple overtime or one goal losses in conference play last[year] so we know that we are close to being in the top half of the NESCAC.” The Continentals hope that their strong leadership core can help turn those close losses into close wins and propel them a home playoff game. Over the summer, the team visited Portugal and Spain for two weeks. The team performed volunteer work and immersed themselves in the rich culture of Iberia, familiarizing themselves with new styles of play against teams from Seville and Lisbon. The trip also provided a strong bonding experience which should improve mental toughness and team chemistry, hopefully translating into wins in close games.The team hopes to win at least one playoff game this year and continue on its upward trajectory. 

While on-the-field success is important to the team, the players also excel off the field, with nine athletes making the 2015 NFHCA National Academic Squad. The team also earned NFHCA Division III National Academic Team Award for the 13th straight year in 2015, demonstrating their commitment to academic excellence. The team has worked hard in the off-season and are ready to take the field. The road to the playoffs starts on Sept. 7, when the Continentals travel to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for their first regular season game. They hope to get off to a good start and never look back.

No comments yet.

All Sports