Field hockey head coach Brenda Meese picked quite a year to take a vacation.
Last year, Meese took a faculty sabbatical. In her place, interim head coach Kelley Hubbell guided to an 11-1 record in North Coast Athletic Conference play. The team capped off an incredible season by winning the NCAC Tournament with a 3-0 win over Kenyon College. The team ultimately fell to the Stevens Institute of Technology in the Div. III Tournament. It was the teamís first appearance in the national tournament since 2001. After watching the field hockey team find great success from afar, Meese returns to the helm for the Fighting Scots in a season that should experience many of the same successes as last year.
This season all eyes will be on Amanda Artman í10, who led the team with 71 points the year before as well as helped Team USA place second at the Maccabiah games earlier this summer. Artman, who made the team of 14 without having to actually try out for the squad, started as the center-forward and contributed largely to the United Stateís record of 3-1 in round robin play.
In addition to all of this, Artman is a second team All-American and the reigning NCAC player of the year. Last year, Artman tied the record for goals (29) in a season set by Denisonís Meg Filoon in 1984, as well as led the Scots in goals, assists (13) and points last year. Being one of the most explosive player on the field, opponents will have to account for wherever she goes on the field.
Eileen Barrer í11 will also complement Artman on the offensive end. Last year, Barrer was third on the team with 13 goals and second on the team with 30 points. With teams paying constant attention to Artman, the All-American, Barrer should see plenty of open looks near the goal.
The team should have enough offense to make every game a track meet. In addition to Artman and Barrer, the team will also receive offensive contributions from Stephanie Standera í11 and Brittany Montgomery í10. Montgomery scored five goals last season. During his first-year season, Montgomery played as a forward and was second on the team in scoring. Montgomery provides valuable experience and leadership as a four-year starter, along with Artman.
While the team is loaded on the offensive end, the defense will need to stop opponents as well. The team will need to replace defender Anna Hurley í09, but the tandem of Kate Quinlivan í10 and Kate Valora í11 should help keep opponents off the scoreboard.
While the team went through a number of rotations at goalkeeper last year, Madalyn Myers í12 cemented herself as the starter by yearís end. Myersís save on a penalty shot in the NCAC Tournament championship helped seal the win over Kenyon. If Myers continues to improve this season, she could emerge as one of the top keepers in the conference.
With the wealth of returning talent, the Scots enter this season as the hands-down favorite to win the conference and appear in the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row. While Meese missed out on last yearís excursion to the national field, if all goes according to plan, she should be around for this yearís trip.