In an attempt to deal with last-minute rule changes and a young, inexperienced lineup, the field hockey team is trying to find the field system that best fits its style.
The Lady Lions used one of the new systems in their 4-1 victory over Syracuse Tuesday. This system consisted of three forwards, three midfielders, three fullbacks, one sweeper, and one goalie.
“It worked out well,” said Coach Char Morett, “I was pleased, but we still need work between midfield and attack, and midfield and defense, but that will come with practice.”
No. 5 Penn State (1-0) will test its new system once again Sunday, during its home opener against Rutgers (1-0 before last night’s game). The game will be played at noon on the turf field at Holuba Hall.
A major source of Penn State’s power this season will be its returning midfield. All three of the midfielders — Jen Stewart, Amy Stairs and Chris McGinley — were in the starting lineup last year.
“I hope to step up and score a lot more this season,” said Stewart, a co-captain. “With the elimination of the obstruction rule, I think that we will have a definite advantage over other teams who might not adapt as well as we have. We have been working with a spin move, and now we need to begin to work with each other.”
“It is just a matter of getting used to working with each other again,” said Stewart, “We already know each other’s basic tendencies, in a little time we’ll be back in the swing of things.”
Freshman forward Tara Maguire, who scored three of Penn State’s four goals Tuesday, says that she is quite comfortable with the new systems.
“I’m not a stranger to our new system,” Maguire said, “I played all summer and worked out with a few different systems.”
“I was both excited and nervous comming into the game, but I try not to think much during the game because if I take time to think it takes away from my level of play,” Maguire said, “I got a little worried when they called back my second goal. They said that I pushed off of a defender before I shot my goal. I thought, oh no, this is my first college game and I already got a green card.”
Maguire recovered quite well, she came back to score two second-half goals.
McGinley, who scored the first Lady Lion goal of the season about 15 minutes into the first period, said she feels that the whole team is capable of scoring, not just a few individuals.
“We are not a team of big names as we have been in the past,” Stewart added. “We are a young scrappy team with a lot of heart. I have big hopes for this year. We all come out and work really hard.”
“Everybody thought that this would be a year of re-building, I see this as a year for succeeding,” Stairs, the other co-captain, said. “I have set goals for my self as I imagine everybody else has, and if everybody plays their game, I think we have the potential to go all the way.”
The Lady Lions are also adjusting to some NCAA rule changes.
Normally when a defender would obstruct the path of a ball carrier, play would stop. This rule, however, has been eliminated. Stewart said she believes the result will be a quicker-paced game.