Geneseo field hockey had an intense weekend of away games, beating SUNY Oneonta 5-0 on Friday Oct. 2 and coming up short in a 1-0 loss to SUNY New Paltz on Saturday Oct. 3. Throughout their season, the field hockey team has experienced a wave of different energy and emotions.
It is still early in the season. Many of the women—including freshman defender Lydia Volpe—are still relatively new to the Geneseo community. Ten freshmen came onto the team this season. This abundance of new players could have kept the team from connecting, but the welcoming and caring atmosphere of the field hockey players helped to instill the idea that the team is like a family.
Because the new players were brought onto the team under such encouraging veterans, they are able to feel and play with almost the same level of passion and talent as the seniors who have been on the team for four years.
“I know that the teams we are playing are our rivals and that these conference games are our biggest games, so I can feel that energy through the seniors and the rest of the women on the team,” Volpe said.
The transition into college is difficult for most freshmen. Being on a sports team, one might think that it is more of a challenge to enjoy the experience, to keep up with the schoolwork and to play hard on the field. This is not the case, however, for the new women on the field hockey team. After preseason, the women started the school year rather comfortably, as they were already used to being on campus and to living in the dorms.
“I think having an immediate group of friends put me on a higher scale compared to other freshmen because every time I walk into the library I can already see a familiar face … I was just immediately able to feel comfortable here,” Volpe said. “Being with the other freshmen makes it better because we all work with each other. We all go to the same meetings, practices and games.”
This is a huge advantage to anyone starting college, especially since it is such a drastic change in one’s lifestyle. “We make sure to go to the library together, we will all stay for hours at a time because we have our assignments to do and we are all still aware that school work comes first,” Volpe said. “All of us have the same mindset of doing work, field hockey and being social with each other, making college what it is supposed to be.”
While most freshmen tend to struggle with the adjustment to the new environment, the field hockey team is certainly lucky to have this family-like bond. Their level of energy will most likely be carried throughout the next four years—and hopefully be passed down to the future freshmen who come onto the team.