With nine returning starters and a solid group of recruits, Hall of Fame field hockey coach Nancy Stevens wanted to test her 2010 team against a schedule of top opponents.
The Huskies, ranked No. 5 in the NFHCA pre-season poll, will get that test during an 18-game schedule that includes 15 opponents either ranked in the pre-season Top 20 or earning votes for national ranking, including defending national champion North Carolina, Boston College, Penn State, Drexel, and conference rivals Syracuse and Louisville.
“What we worked on is having good early season challenges in the non-conference games to get ready for the Big East,” says Stevens. “The Big East is the priority for us to challenge for the regular season championship. Your season is defined by conference play.”
As the defending Big East champion, the Huskies have some added incentive to return to the Big East Tournament in early November. The four-team, single elimination tournament to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Championships will be held in Storrs at the George J. Sherman Family-Sports Complex Nov. 6-7.
The first challenge for the Huskies is to replace the 32 goals scored last season by All-American Loren Sherer, the Big East Offensive Player of the Year, who graduated; and the defense of goalkeeper Andrea Mainiero, a second-team All-Big East selection, who is now a graduate student.
“Our attack players are another year older, so that helps,” Stevens says of her six top returning scorers: senior Robin Kleine and juniors Melissa Gonzalez, Ali Blankmeyer, Jestine Angelini, Bethany Semlear, and Cara Silverman.
“The players worked very hard over the summer. We had eight players participate in U.S. Field Hockey’s High Performance Training,” Stevens says. “They’re ready to go.”
Gonzalez is one of the nation’s top players, having spent the summer playing with the USA Women’s National Team. During their successful tour to Europe, the U.S. Team won three of four matches against Spain and twice defeated the world #4, England.
Junior forward Ali Blankmeyer and sophomore midfielder Alicia Angelini trained this summer with the USA National Indoor Field Hockey Team. Blankmeyer was selected to compete with the team at the Indoor World Cup Qualifier, helping lead the U.S. Team to a bronze medal performance. Junior back Rayell Heistand, Big East pre-season Defensive Player of the Year, was named to the U.S. Women’s Under-21 National Team.
Stevens’ new recruits bring talent and international experience to the Huskies. Goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield from England, forward Anne Jeute from Germany, and forward Marie Elena Bolles of Phoenixville, Pa. are all expected to contribute this year.
Bolles, who ran track in high school, was part of the 4×400 relay team that won the scholastic division of the Penn Relays.
“Maria Elena is the fastest player on our team,” Stevens says. “When you can find somebody with that special quality, it makes your team special. She offers us breakaway speed. If she gets a step on a defender, she’s difficult to catch.”
Stevens says the strong fundamental skills of her student-athletes, including the younger players, will provide the coaching staff with the opportunity to spend more time on strategy and tactical play.
“We have good talent, so we can spend more time on tactics,” she says. “We’ll have more answers for the opposition. Multiple presses on defense and varied outletting schemes on offense are more sophisticated with an experienced team. That’s a lot of fun for the coaches, and the players enjoy it more.”
She will also rely on the leadership of three co-captains – Gonzalez, goalkeeper Allison Karpiak, both seniors, and back Kim Kryzk, a junior – to support the younger players.
“I’ve always felt we’ve had great success when we’ve had great senior leadership,” Stevens says. “It really makes a difference with the team’s performance.”
For the field hockey 2010 schedule, go to the Athletics website.
