Alex Zhang | Phoenix Staff

BY DANIEL FRIEL

In print | Published October 23, 2008

While most Swarthmore students enjoyed rest and relaxation over October break last week, the field hockey team kept busy with two challenging conference matchups. The double proved to be a tall order for the Garnet and they suffered losses by a score of 4-0 against Dickinson on Saturday and by a score of 5-3 against Muhlenberg on Wednesday. The team dropped to 5-10, standing at 1-6 in Centennial Conference play.

Despite the two losses, however, members of the team are optimistic about the remainder of the season. “We came together as a team and despite our losses, we came away from the games with some things to focus on in the next two weeks of the season to finish strong,” co-captain Ashley Gunter ’09 said.

Last Saturday, Dickinson played a consistent game on their home field to keep the Garnet at bay. The Red Devils broke into winning territory by reaching 6-5 for the win, and improved to 2-2 in Centennial Conference play. Katie Ashmore ’11 tallied seven saves for Swarthmore in the loss.
Against Muhlenberg, which improved to 5-8 (2-4 CC) with the victory, the Garnet matched their opponents with three goals apiece in the second half, but were unable to overcome a 2-0 deficit after a strong first period by the Mules.

It was Sophia Ferguson ’11 who put Swarthmore on the board in the 51st minute off a pass from Natalie Stone ’09. Ferguson scored again less than seven minutes later to bring Swarthmore within two goals of their opponent, but after Nicki Notarinni ’10 added another tally for Muhlenberg late in the second period, the victory became even more difficult to salvage. However, when Ashley Gunter ’09 fired a successful penalty shot with less than four minutes left in play, it was clear the Garnet would not relent.

Ferguson indicated a bit of frustration that the score of the game did not accurately reflect the level of play her teammates put forth on the field. “We have had some beautiful passing plays, particularly in the midfield, but ultimately, we need to work on our aggressiveness and consistency throughout the entire game,” she said, hinting that the women are on the brink of putting together something special. She added that “in the next two weeks our team will continue to focus on our one-on-one defense and communication on the field.”

Ashmore and Gina Grubb ’10 split playing time in goal against the Mules, notching three and nine saves, respectively.

Looking ahead to next year, the team will have a huge void to fill after several seniors graduate this year. With only seven field players returning after this season, the program will look to the class of 2013 to make a major impact. Gunter recognizes that “there is definitely a sense of urgency to recruit new players” and has “no doubt that [first-year head] Coach [Lauren] Fuchs will recruit top-notch athletes for our team.” Ferguson agrees, confident that Fuchs has the ability “to find the types of players we need and ensure that the program continues to grow and strengthen in the following years.”

Lara Hasychak ’12, the only first-year on this year’s roster, has quickly learned the dynamics of team building and recruiting. Hasychak admitted, “It is pretty difficult having only two subs. We are losing a lot of important players [due to graduation], so we definitely want to try to recruit well for next year because we might not even have enough players.”

Meanwhile, the women look to throw down the gauntlet this Saturday when they host Centennial Conference rival #14 Gettysburg at noon. The Bullets stand at 9-5 (4-2 CC) this season, and are expected to provide tough competition for the Garnet. Still, Swarthmore has taken on a schedule riddled with nationally ranked opponents this season (Gettysburg is the fourth top-20 team on the Garnet schedule), and is prepared to again test their strength against one of the top teams in the country.

Gunter said that the team is staying positive despite its recent losses. “It’s definitely easy to get discouraged after the two losses but we just have to put them behind us, learn from our mistakes, and get ourselves together mentally and physically to face Gettysburg on Saturday. We’re just looking to have fun playing the game we all love,” Gunter said.

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