The Geneseo field hockey team has maintained a successful season thus far—with an overall record of 10-6, including a seven game winning streak.
Despite losing to Houghton College on Wednesday Oct. 25 1-0, these women are clearly looking for another championship season. The forward momentum of winning propels the team, as they will soon enter postseason play.
Head coach Jess Seren is pleased with the season so far.
“I feel good so far; I think we’re clicking at a really good time of year,” Seren said.
The team is focused on improvement, and they’ve done just that, getting better as the season progresses. Seren engrained this mindset into the players early on, which is a major component of the season’s success.
“This season we came out strong, and we’ve just been playing really well,” junior defender Lydia Volpe said.
The field hockey schedule is often a very challenging one, beginning with intense competition from schools like William Smith College.
“Playing nationally ranked teams early on is a good way for us to learn, especially early in the season,” Volpe said.
In terms of schedule, the team has had a tougher time in their conference games, yet lately they’ve found ways to work through any problems.
“The motivation has increased as we’ve been trying to keep winning streaks,” Volpe said.
The overall goal for the season is to win a SUNYAC title, and winning individual games is a positive start.
“We’ve been working on forming good habits in practice and that has been translating into good play in our games,” Seren said.
This season, major focus has gone into a defensive mentality for the Knights.
“We have a great defensive team this season, so we’ve been really trying to work on that,” Volpe said, and added that when executed well, “our offensive plays are flawless.”
The team has seen their practiced skills exercised well in games. The defense has worked to perfect their shape and formation throughout the season. The offense has focused on making sure their movement is consistent. These small adjustments have made a huge difference for the Knights.
Part of this success can be attributed to the team culture, which helps relations on and off the field. The women are very close and enjoy going to practice and spending time together.
“I think that the new freshmen integrated really well into our dynamic,” Volpe said.
Looking forward, Seren said the team will “continue to refine our skills, which should help us to continue to play our best.”
The Knights will face University of Rochester with a home field advantage On Saturday Oct. 28. This will be a competitive game, as the U of R team has challenged Geneseo in the past.
In this game, the success and skills of the Knights will be tested and provide a good practice for the upcoming SUNYAC semi-finals.
“In SUNYAC semi-finals, we have a match-up with Cortland, and we’re excited about it,” Seren said.
This team is fired up and ready to continue playing at a high level. Thinking about improvement, the Knights have put themselves in a position for success as the season continues into SUNYAC tournament play.
Junior midfielder Madison Albrecht sends the ball up the field to her teammates. Despite their loss again Houghton College, the women look to continue their otherwise outstanding season. (Troy Hallahan/Advertising Manager)