The field hockey team has proven to have a strong defensive so far this season. Two key cogs on the defensive side of the ball are junior defender Liz Doherty and senior midfielder Elena Hingston. Both women are essential to the team’s dynamic—they are the source of vitality that travels down the field and through the rest of the players.
Their position on the field requires more than simply playing defense and protecting their goalkeeper from the opposing team—they are also in charge of vocalizing instructions to the rest of the players on the field. Doherty emphasized this responsibility and the importance that it plays during their games.
“Us along with Dayna Mercer—our senior goalie—we are probably the most three vocal ones on the team. We feel the responsibility to spark that vocal-ness and spread it down the field,” Doherty said. “We are able to see everything that is happening on the field. We can see splits and openings that other players might not see. With communication, one of our problems is keeping up the energy, so we try to talk more to maintain the energy and positivity during the game.”
The upperclassmen are the minority on the team—there are 17 underclassmen and only nine upperclassmen. The underclassmen have adjusted nicely, however, due to the guidance and support from the upperclassmen leaders. “The new players are open to suggestions and they are very coachable,” Hingston said.
A strong relationship between the underclassmen and the upperclassmen is always necessary for a team to be successful. Because a relationship was developed so quickly, the Knights have a significant advantage moving through the rest of their season. The women all genuinely care about each other and support one another—both on and off the field—resulting in an impressive team dynamic.
The Knights are coming out of a tough week with close losses to both St. John Fisher College and Hamilton College, but this has not had a negative impact on their morale.
“We did have a lot going for us, we have a lot to build on and we can only go up from here,” Hingston said. This type of positivity is essential for them to go into their next few games strong. The women have games against SUNY Oneonta on Friday Oct. 2 and SUNY New Paltz on Saturday Oct. 3—two very important games.
With their contributions and achievements regarding the team’s communication, Doherty, Hingston and Mercer have really had a positive impact on the team. Luckily for the new players on the team, they have veteran leaders to guide them through the season.
The rest of their season holds a lot of potential. If their energy levels are maintained throughout all of their games, then the Knights should have no problem getting wins in SUNYAC play.