The Geneseo field hockey team is already struggling to get to the top of the conference. The squad’s 1-3 record is a little misleading though, as the team has faced some tough opponents in their first few games. “We’re good about where we’re at right now,” head coach Jessica Seren said. “Our intentions were to go into these first few games understanding that we were going to have a difficult schedule.”
Three of the Knights’ first five opponents are Skidmore College, Salisbury University and William Smith College, all of whom finished top three in their respective conferences last season.
“There are no significant adjustments we have to make right now based on our record,” Seren added.
One major adjustment for the team will be learning to play away from home. Due to poor facilities, the Knights only have four home games.
“One of the aspects of our season we’re using as a learning tool for our team is getting used to playing on the road,” Seren said.
Despite the hard schedule and losses early on, the team looks to continue to improve its play and use its experience to get better as the season rolls along.
“The record may not show the improvements that we’re making, but playing on the road will help us when we open up conference play in October,” Seren said.
A bright spot has been the play of junior goalkeeper Dayna Mercer. She already has 36 saves and is a dominant presence on the team.
Seren didn’t hesitate to call Mercer her best player this year.
“[Mercer] has stepped up as a leader for us in the backfield and she is holding her own…especially early on against stronger teams,” she said.
The team doesn’t play a home game until Oct. 3 when they will face SUNY Oneonta. There are also three other teams in the SUNYAC conference that only have one win so far. With 15 regular season games left on the schedule, the team has lots of time to recover.
The Knights hope their tough early schedule will prepare them for the road ahead and that their veteran keeper can lead the way.
Editor’s note: Geneseo lost 4-0 on Wed. Sept. 10