The women’s field hockey team looks forward to opening its season strong against the Keene State Owls this weekend at Harkness Field. Saturday’s game begins at 1 pm. The last time the two teams faced each other was last October at Keene State, when the Owls trounced the Red Hawks 6-1 in a non-conference game.
After playing through a few inconsistent seasons, most notably last year’s dismal 5-11 performance, the Red Hawks can look toward a road to redemption, although surviving the 17-game season will be no easy task. “Last year was last year,” said senior forward Sara Stylinski. “New team, new focus. Our girls are extremely motivated this year to work hard and play hard. We talked about looking forward, and not paying so much attention to the win-loss column, but to our small goals and milestones that will allow the wins to just fall right into place.”
The field hockey team lost strength in graduating seniors Michelle Clemente, Michelle Roy, and Sarah Merlin, but looks forward to returning seniors Stylinski, Lisa Pak, Kerri Clark, and Stephanie Petta to step up and take command in the upcoming years. Other players to watch for include junior Shaina Feldman and sophomore Sandy Turnbull, two of last year’s leading scorers, as well as junior Megan McNamera and sophomore Jessica Corrigan. Junior goaltender Kate Williams looks to continue on her success of last season, where she posted a 4-6 record as a starter, 3.67 goals against average, and a 0.712 save percentage, including two shutouts.
The class of 2012 will add depth and chemistry to the team as well, bringing an additional 10 players to the squad this season. “The freshmen have a lot of potential and are all great additions to the team this year,” Petta explained. “They’ll definitely make an impact on the team and continue to in the following years.”
RPI begins its road campaign against Montclair State in Montclair, N.J., the following weekend, as well as travelling to Wayne, N.J., the following day to face-off against the William Paterson Pioneers.
“Being on the road is always a challenge. Being consistent at home and consistent in our play during practice is what is going to help on the road. Consistency is going to be a major goal for us, and will help with our road games,” confided Stylinski.
The Red Hawks return home on September 13 in a game versus the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons, and will open the Liberty League season against the University of Rochester on September 26 at Harkness Field.
“We’re putting last year’s record behind us and moving forward,” said Petta. “I really think we’ll go far this year, so we are all extremely excited to get started.”
