8/26/2010 4:09:23 PM
One year after falling just shy of the SCAC Championship game, the Sewanee Field Hockey team is looking for another shot at a title. The Tigers finished 2009 with a 7-11 record and advanced to the semi-finals of the conference tournament before losing to Rhodes in an overtime thriller that left them hungry.
Ten starters return for third year Head Coach Jennifer Baldaccini, who knows that a demanding schedule will challenge her team in 2010: "We have a challenging schedule this season, but I am confident that if we continue working hard and keep up the intensity that we have had during preseason, we will come out on top." Baldaccini points out that the team's first two weekends of non-conference play, a jaunt to Maryland September 4-5 and a road trip to Danville, Kentucky September 11-12, will be key in setting the tone for the remainder of the season, especially for SCAC matches. "I anticipate that conference games will be very close this year, just like they were last year," explains Coach Baldaccini.
Senior captains Caroline Carlin and Caitlin McNaughton are expected to lead the team on and off the field this year. They are joined by four additional seniors, Carly Grimm, Taylor Skeen, Liza Ketcham, and Emily Detmer, all of whom look to make significant contributions once again. Carlin, a 2009 All-SCAC first team selection and 1st Team Great Lakes All Region Player, will rely on her relentless style of play in the circle to make her a threat once again. She led the team with 18 points in 2009. McNaughton joined Carlin in the awards circle in the fall, earning a spot on the All-SCAC Honorable Mention team and was one of five total athletes named to field hockey's All-SCAC Sportsmanship Team. Baldaccini will rely on Carlin and McNaughton, as well as the rest of the senior class to serve as role models for a strong freshman class that's looking to challenge the upperclassmen.
Defensively, Baldaccini says the Tigers are looking to minimize the number of shots and penalty corners given up to opposing teams in 2010. McNaughton will anchor the defensive end of the field and will be joined by two talented goalkeepers, Detmer and sophomore Anna Morrow. Detmer and Morrow combined for three shutouts and 107 saves in 2009. Mallory Silver will also be looked upon to bring the defense to the field, as Coach Baldaccini will rely on her speed and quick footwork to keep up with offenders and be a key in transitioning the ball to the offense.
A talented group of offenders returns for the Tigers in 2010, including seniors Skeen, Ketcham, and Grimm, junior Elise Landau, and sophomores Molly Kennedy and Anne Booke. Sewanee will look to the ability of Kennedy, Ketcham, and Booke to cut into open spaces and confuse defenders and the talented stickwork of Skeen and Landau to frustrate opponents. The main goal of the offense this year will be to create shots and generate aggression in the circle.
The midfield players will be crucial in transitioning the ball from the defensive end of the field to the offensive field. Carlin will be relied upon heavily, as will sophomore Cameron Herndon, who Baldaccini says is "a very talented player with the vision to see players and spaces. That makes her a solid midfield player." Charlotte Henderson's aggressive style of play will also serve as a great Tiger asset in the midfield, as well as on defense.
In addition to the bevy of returning talent, Baldaccini's team will welcome five newcomers who all look to make an immediate impact for the Tigers. Tilden Davis (Wilmington, Del./St. Andrew's School), Karen Dawson (Pittsburgh, Penn./Shady Side Academy), Mary Kate McAlister (Charlotte, N.C./Charlotte Latin School), Caroline Murphy (Easton, Md./St. James School), and Caroline Williams (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill High School) all join the squad this year and Baldaccini expects their speed, experience, and talented stickwork to easily compliment the style of the returnees' play. Coach Baldaccini and her players hope this dangerous combination makes for a successful year: "We have such a talented group of field hockey players so I am excited and anxious to see how they perform each weekend. This group has really come together and even created a mission statement to define their outlook on the team and the season: 'As a select group of student athletes, the Sewanee field hockey team represents a commitment to our sport and to one another. From across the nation we come together to fulfill our goals of success and friendship. Ultimately, we unite as one to achieve victory and to share our love of the game.'"
The Tigers open up the season on September 4th, as they travel to Stevenson, Maryland to take on Elizabethtown at 2:00 p.m. The team will face FDU-Florham the next day, also in Stevenson. The Tigers begin SCAC play on September 18th when they host the DePauw University Tigers at noon in their home opener.