Category: Sportswriting Page 4 of 7

Bad breaks have been the Lion tamer this seaon, and this weekend it finally broke the field hockey team’s backs. The Lady Lions lost two home games to Old Dominion and North Carolina, both by 2-1 margins.

The Lady Lions went from playing the best they’ve looked this season against No. 1 Old Dominion, to a lackluster performance, at best, against No. 6 North Carolina. The common factor for both games, however, was that bad breaks were what beat the Lady Lions in both matches.

“We just don’t get the breaks,” defender Jill Pearsall said after the UNC loss. “It isn’t like these teams are dominating us. When we lose, it is bad luck.”

The Lady Lions vowed to stick to their guns.

“We are a young team, and so we have to be aggressive,” Char Morett said. “Prevent defenses tend to give up more big plays than normal defenses do, so we decided to stick to our game.”

Just like last year’s Penn State-ODU matchup, Chris McGinley, with assists from Amy Stairs and Jen Stewart, hooked up on the McGinley-Co-Captian-connection.

The Lady Monarch attack was on fire, but the Lady Lions covered them like a blanket to smother it.

“Our team defense looked great,” defender Becca Main said. “I think we realized that we have 11 players, and they have 11 players, and it doesn’t make a difference who they are.”

Old Dominion put a lot of pressure on freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister, and she proved that she could play with the best.

“Their shots were coming really fast,” Meister said. “They had me real nervous at first, but then I saw that I was stopping them.”

It took the Lady Monarchs until late in the first half to score against the Lady Lion defense. From that point until late in the game, the match became a stalemate between Penn State’s defense and the Lady Monarch attack.

With a harder pass here, or a different play there, the game could have gone either way. With less than ten minutes left, ODU scored, and did not leave time for the Lady Lions to recover.

The Lady Lions were not distraught over the loss to ODU, as a matter of fact, they were quite happy with the level of play.

They had hoped to carry this intensity to their match against UNC, but the Lady Lions played a flat, emotionless game.

“We were a step behind them the entire match,” Morett said. “They wanted to win more than we did. If we don’t play like winners, we don’t deserve to.”

Less than two minutes into the game, North Carolina’s Sharon Moore scored on a rebound from a penalty corner. The Lady Lions showed a brief glimmer of life, and countered with the McGinley-Co-Captain-connection.

McGinley scored on a penalty corner to tie the match. That, however, was the last of the scoring.

Then, in the latest segment of Penn State’s bad breaks, North Carolina’s Kelly Staley caught Meister off guard, when she ran out of the cage to break up a pass. Meister missed the ball, and Staley stumbled. By some fluke, the ball rolled in front of Staley while she was down, and Meister was still out of the cage. Staley slammed the ball into the net.

“We’ve had a lot of bad luck this season, especially in big games,” Sharon Kuntz said. “Sooner or later we will have to get a break.”

Old Dominion. Tomorrow. A showdown, on the Holuba Hall turf at noon.

The No. 1 undefeated Lady Monarchs come to Penn State tomorrow riding high on a 52-game winning streak and the No. 3 Lady Lions are preparing to bring that streak to a roaring halt.

“We’ve got them at home, and we’re going to go at them with everything we’ve got,” Coach Char Morett said. “We’ve got nothing to lose.”

The ODU wrecking ball has been known to crash down on opponent’s offenses, while trouncing their defense.

“We just don’t care who they are,” said senior co-captian Jen Stewart. “They could be aliens, it doesn’t matter. We are playing to win and that is what we are going to do.”

And the Lady Lions have vivid memories of last year’s 5-2 trouncing down in Norfolk, Va. This year’s game won’t be any easier for Penn State.

Lady Monarch goalkeepers have 14 shutouts this season, while their attack has outscored opponents by an astounding 113-2. ODU has run-up over 10 goals in a match three times this season against unranked opponents — their highest output was a 14 goal ego-booster against 0-4-1 Stanford. It seems that no victory is too small for those mighty Lady Monarchs down in Norfolk.

“Why embarrass a team when everybody already knows you’re good,” Sharon Kuntz said. “Is a 14-0 win any better than a 3-0 win? Doing that doesn’t prove anything.”

Kirt Bennedict agreed. “It just isn’t fair to run up a score like that,” she said. “It ruins the competition. A win is a win.”

ODU is not anticipating such an easy victory over Penn State, and knows it will have to work to keep with the Lady Lions.

“Penn State will be one of our toughest games,” said ODU wing Dina Borrelli. “It is a very big game for both teams, and we’re going to have to stick to our game.”

ODU Coach Beth Anders refused to comment on the game, and has since told her team not to discuss anything with the media until further notice.

The Lady Lions, at No. 3, will be the highest ranked team to face No. 1 Old Dominion (16-0). Earlier this season ODU beat Maryland, who was ranked No. 3 at the time, but since has fallen to No. 9.

Kelli James leads the potent Lady Monarch’s in points with 24 goals and 40 assists followed by Jill Reeve who has two goals and 39 assists. Laura Knorr leads the team with 26 goals and Maaike Hibrand has 25. The stats, however, drop off significantly after those four players, and it shows that Anders doesn’t uses substitutions often during a game.

A quick look at the Lady Lion stats, however, shows they utilize a lot of substitutions. This depth means Morrett can call on a set of fresh legs and count on the quality of play to remain at a high level.

“At any time you can pick any one of the girls off of the bench and know that they are going to get the job done.” Stewart said. “Everybody is ready to go in at any given time. We have been playing well the past few games, and when we’re doing good, everybody is up.”

Right now, the Lady Lions are playing an emotional brand of field hockey that could be difficult to match by a team, who has yet to be challenged.

Penn State has proved worthy to challenges from higher ranked teams, and has matched strides with No. 2 Iowa twice already.

Morett feels that despite losing to Iowa in both meetings, the lessons learned were the most important aspects.

“It takes a good challenge to help a team find what it needs to improve,” Morett said.

She feels her team knows what it is capable of doing, and what it needs to do before tomorrow’s ODU game.

“I was very pleased with the play last weekend,” Morett said, “and I would like to see it carry over to Old Dominion. We want to jump on them early, and keep them down.”

Kuntz agreed that Penn State has been playing solid hockey, and feels that the Lady Lions are the team to crush the ODU wrecking ball.

“If anybody is going to beat Old Dominion, it is going to be us,” Kuntz said.

Junior field hockey player Chris McGinley is very goal oriented — literally.

Yet to her the stats mean very little.

“I hate that stuff,” McGinley said of records and statistics. “I play to have fun, and if I make a goal it is for the team, not for a record. I always set goals for myself, but they aren’t for my benefit. It is how I can best help the team.”

She is the team’s leading goal scorer with 19 goals this season and is only four goals from breaking the single-season scoring record. McGinley has done this in only 13 games.

Most would expect that McGinley would be pretty excited about all of these accomplishments, and should be counting the goals until she breaks the next record.

Not McGinley.

McGinley is modest to say the least, and does not like to talk about herself. She did, however, have a lot to say about the Lady Lions’ bout with Old Dominion tomorrow and No. 6 North Carolina on Sunday.

“I am realy psyched about Old Dominion,” McGinley said. “We were close to beating them last year, and I think we can do it this year.”

Last year, the Lady Lions played Old Dominion in their first game of the season. McGinley scored the first goal, and in a fit of enthusiasm, she jumped straight into the air, and did a bicycle kick.

“I was so excited,” McGinley said. “I thought I was going to jump over the cage. It made me realize that we could get by them, and I would like to see the same happen this year. We are going to go crazy tomorrow. They have everything to lose, we’ve got nothing to lose.”

If she starts out the scoring like she did last year, McGinley will tie her coach, Char Morett at No. 4 on the all time scorers list. McGinley has 49 career goals, and she still has an entire year of eligibilty to top that list. McGinley said that this or any other record is just not a priority of hers.

“If she were concerned with the stats, that would be more pressure on her,” co-captain Jen Stewart said. “If she felt the pressure, she would have to try to score, and then I don’t think she would score as much.”

To her teammates, McGinley seems relaxed and in control.

“I am so jealous of her,” said her roommate and fellow junior Kirt Benedict. “She is always so relaxed, everything just comes to her so naturally.”

McGinley sees things quite differently, and said she is constantly thinking when she is on the field.

“I don’t know about being relaxed,” McGinley said. “Field hockey is a very tense sport for me. I am constantly thinking of my strengths and weaknesses, and I try to work on them every time I touch the ball.”

McGinley must do a lot of work. Any time a ball is in motion, McGinley is usually somewhere close.

“She comes out of nowhere and makes things happen,” Stewart said. “She is always where the action is.”

Rather than bragging about her record breaking skills, and her fantastic stick play, McGinley is just thankful that she has the opportunity to play for Penn State. She above all wants to make sure she keeps the fun in field hockey.

“When it becomes anything but fun, it is work not sports,” McGinley said. “I think a lot of people forget about that, but that is what it is for me.”

After starring in high school, Danielle Annibale had a tough time making the adjustment from being a big fish in a small pond to a little fish in a big pond.

When the forward on the field hockey team came to Penn State, she found that she was no longer the best player on the team. She was intimidated by the big school, and saw just how easy it can be to get lost in the crowd.

“I was just one more person here,” Annibale said. “I was really intimidated by the numbers. I came out of a class of 170 people, and this was a huge shock to me.”

It is all too easy to go astray when you are away from home for the first time. Nobody cares if you go to class or not, and there is nobody back at your place to tell you to stay home and study. Without discipline, the other activities, including sports, begin to lose their priority.

“I did everything but what mattered and I paid for it,” Annibale said. “And I’m still making up for it.”

But since those rough times, Annibale has turned herself around and has become a major contributor to the field hockey team.

And she is playing with a new vigor — one of her biggest tests will come this weekend when the No. 3 Lady Lions face undefeated No. 1 Old Dominion.

Dina Borelli, one of Annibale’s best friends and teammates from Bishop Eustace High School in New Jersey, is the starting wing for the Monarchs, and she anxiously awaits playing against her friend.

Annibale recalled talking to Borelli as a freshman.

“She was always so into field hockey, and I just thought she needed to get a life,” Annibale said. “But now that I’m playing, I can’t say enough about it.”

Borelli agreed, saying field hockey is all they talk about now. She welcomes the change in Annibale.

“They always called me the hockey geek,” Borelli said, “Now Danielle is the hockey geek. That is all she ever talks about, but I love it.”

When they played in high school, Annibale was always on the attack, and Borelli was always the defender. Now Borelli has been moved to left wing, and will compete with Annibale for the entire match.

Borelli said she has noticed Annibale’s change in attitude, and said she cannot wait to compete against her.

Coach Char Morett said she has also noticed the change in Annibale and she is impressed.

“A look at Danielle’s time here is really encouraging,” Morett said. “She has turned herself around, and has become a productive part of the team. That shows a lot about a person. There are a lot of distractions here at Penn State. It is easy to get lost.”

In high school, Annibale was a leading force on her prep school’s field hockey team. She was the leading scorer during her senior year, and was selected for the first-team on the All-Parochial League that was ranked No. 1 in South Jersey.

Coming from such success made the transition to college that much tougher for Annibale.

She had trouble walking into huge classes where nobody knew or cared who she was, and she felt shut out. She took the route many freshmen in that situation do — avoid the awkward situations, and do things that get you known.

Fortunately for Annibale, she realized what she was doing to herself, and saw her goals moving further out of reach. Since that time, Annibale sports a grade point average higher than 3.0, and has become one of the most aggressive players for the Lady Lions.

“She started out and made some mistakes,” senior Becca Main said. “But she’s pulled it all together, and has a lot she wants to do before she graduates.”

Last year, Annibale was high on Morret’s sub list and liked what she was feeling. She decided succeeding in field hockey was what she wanted to do, and knew she had a lot of work ahead.

She worked hard all summer, and came out this fall determined to earn herself a starting position.

“She came out with new life this semester,” Morett said, “I think she’s finally decided for herself that she can play at this level. She’s worked real hard to get where she’s at.”

Senior Icer Ben Bouma said he rediscovered his calling when his coaches placed the three-year starting forward on defense in the Blue-White game last week.

“All of the instinct came back,” Bouma said. “I feel real comfortable there.”

Bouma originally started as a defender in high school, but since then, he’s become a vital part of the Icers’ front line. This transformation came partially because Bouma lacks the mass of a typical defender. But what Bouma lacks in size, he makes up for in his blazing speed and his elusive stick skill.

In his three years as a forward, he has scored 45 goals, and is 25th on the all time scorer list for the Icers.

“I have always believed he was one of the most talented athletes on the team,” Coach Joe Battista said. “He handles the puck with a lot of poise, and he isn’t afraid to throw his body into a shot.”

The 6-foot, 155-pound Bouma has worked hard to make a name for himself with his aggressive style and surgical puck play. The Icer defense this year lacks Bouma’s kind of skill and experience, and Battista said he feels this change was necessary to bring the new defense to life.

Bouma is dedicated to everything he does, and senior forward Chris Cervellero said because of Bouma’s dedication, he can be effective whereever he plays.

“I’m going to miss him at forward,” Cervellero said. “But he is a very versatile player, and I think he can make a great impact wherever he plays. He gives all he’s got to everything he does.”

On the other side, Matt Hoffman is the lone returning defenseman, and he welcomes the addition of Bouma to his line. Hoffman is currently paired with Bouma, and feels that it makes for the best of both worlds in the line. Hoffman is a large physical defenseman, and is comparable to a linebacker on skates. On the other hand, Bouma sees himself as more of the quarterback of the defense.

“A good defender can add something to the offense,” Bouma said. “It is similar to being a quarterback. I am back where I can see everything that is going on and I have a chance to assess the situation before I make a play.”

Battista said that Bouma has one of the best poke checks that he has seen, and is quick to point out that Bouma is not a stranger to defense. Bouma plays point on the power plays, and was known for his aggressive defense in high school.

Bouma has had an up and down career as an Icer, Battista said. He came out strong as a starting forward his freshman year, and scored 25 goals for the Icers that year. But he was plagued by shoulder problems during his sophomore and junior campaigns, and scored only 20 goals in the two seasons combined.

During the off season, Bouma had reconstructive shoulder surgery, and Battista feels that this has lifted a load of worry and pain off of the shoulders of Bouma.

“He is finally playing with confidence,” Battista said. “I think that this is what he’s needed to get where he wants to be this year, but he’s going to have to work for it.”

Bouma said that he welcomes the challenge, and feels he can help the newer defensemen get use to covering the space. He would also like to instill a keen sense of anticipation that is necessary to be an effective defenseman at the collegiate level.

“You need to be a step or two ahead of the offense,” Bouma said. “That takes time to learn.”

Battista said Bouma knows what it takes to break up a play, and because of this he is the best player to fill the void until some of the new defenders get their feet cold (from the ice).

Battista said he has enough confidence in Bouma’s skill and versatility adding that he can place him anywhere on the ice and count on him to be a power player.

Senior forward Chris Cervellero said the Icer seniors have set the team goal for their season: to go out like they came in — National Champs.

When this year’s seniors came into the Penn State hockey program, they were freshmen on a team that needed to utilize its skill and speed.

“We came onto a team that expected a lot from us,” said senior Dave Murphy at yesterday’s news conference at the ice pavilion. “We were anxious to step up to the challenge.”

Murphy feels his class was a big part of the reason that the team as a whole did so well that year. He said his class was eager to play, and there was a lot of competition between the freshmen and the starters.

“It was a lot of us versus them when we were freshmen,” Murphy said. “We were anxious to play, and made everyone work for their positions. I think it helped us gel as a class.”

Coach Joe Battista plans to use this unity of his junior and senior oriented team to its fullest potential in their first season in the newly formed ACHL. Because many of the players have so much experience to offer the team, Battista said he will not have to spend nearly as much time teaching them the basics, and can spend more time working on different looks for the team.

Battista said this is possible only if the team can maintain a positive work ethic throughout the season. And if they can do this, the Icers “can capitalize on their gifts” and use new and creative systems to keep their opponents off balance.

“We’re going to win a lot if these guys work hard,” Battista said. “It all comes down to their work ethics.”

Murphy agreed and quoted his coach. “Hard work beats talent, if talent doesn’t work hard,” he said.

Battista said he would like to use the speed and agility of his seniors in a, “run-and-gun offense.”

“We’re trying to open things up,” Battista said. “We want to take advantage of the speed that guys like Dave Murphy have. We’re going to let the offense do the work because they are the ones who make things happen.”

Battista said that he wants to place a strong emphasis on a high tempo offense, and later will push for the defense. This year’s Icer defense is young and relatively inexperienced, and once they catch their stride, Battista said he expects a lot from them. He then hopes to find a balance between the quick and skilled offense, and his physical defense.

Matt Hoffman is the lone experienced defender, and he plans to lead the defense to attack, and to keep them honest. He thinks that the new “run-and-gun offense” will give his defense a chance to build up its attack.

To add some experience to his defense, Battista moved three-year forward Ben Bouma to the backline. Bouma said he welcomes the change, and felt at home when he played defense in the Blue-White game.

“I’ve sort of been missing pieces of the puzzle the last couple of years,” Bouma said. “I played defense all through high school, and in the Blue-White game it all came back to me. The instinct just came back.”

Until the rest of the defense is up to par, Battista plans to spotlight his offense.

“Don’t be suprised if you look at our lineup and see four forwards, and one defender,” Battista said.

As a result of this strong offensive look, Icer Captin John Adams expects that his team will be scoring a lot of short-handed goals this season. Cervellero agreed, and said if they can score short-handed, imagine what they can do on a power play, when they are a man up.

On the other end of the stick, goaltender John Gray feels he has a lot to prove this season, and has set some high expectations of himself, and the team. He is close to breaking two records and is quick to point out that these are Icer wins, not Gray wins.

“The wins are team wins,” Gray said, “and if I have a win so do the Icers. Of course, the records are nice, but it is the team wins that are important.”

If the team maintains this positive attitude, and continues to work hard, Battista and his team feel they are capable of fulfilling their goal to become National Champions.

While the field hockey team split its games this weekend, junior Chris McGinley dribbled her way up three places to become the No. 5 all time scorer for the Lady Lions.

McGinley scored six of the Lady Lion’s eight goals in the Big Ten block at Iowa; two of them came in Penn State’s disheartening 3-2 double overtime loss to No. 2 ranked Iowa Friday.

“It was the best game Penn State has played this year,” Morett said. “Our kids really rose to the occasion.”

McGinley warned that the Lady Lions wanted to leap out to an early lead, and 17 minutes into the game she answered the call. McGinley drove her way through the Hawkeye defense, scoring unassisted on a shot across Iowa goalkeeper Andrea Wileand.

Ten minutes later, McGinley followed up her own goal to score on a corner penalty shot with an assist from the co-captain connection, Amy Stairs and Jen Stewart.

Iowa seemed taken aback by the Lady Lion intensity, as it took until late in the first half for them to adjust to it. With less than ten minutes left in the first half, the Hawkeyes regained their bearings, and scored on a penalty corner.

Iowa’s Kristy Gleason, who is the top scorer in the NCAA, scored on a penalty corner with an assist from Jamie Rofrano and Tiffany Bybel cutting Penn State’s lead to 2-1.

But Penn State still had the momentum and the lead going into the second half –they came out looking to finish off the Hawkeyes.

The Lady Lions held their ground until late into the second half when Kristen Filatt took a slapshot which was deflected by Chris Blais and blocked by Jill Pearsall’s body.

Filatt scored on the ensuing penalty shot past freshman goal keeper Shelly Meister forcing the first overtime — where McGinley came painstakingly close to ending it.

She bounced a penalty corner shot off the far post, and Iowa recovered the rebound. Two minutes into the second overtime Iowa’s Gleason scored on another penalty corner extending the Hawkeye home winning streak to 26 games.

“The Iowa game was tiring,” Morett said. “I talked with them and told them that I expected the level of play to be high now. I told them you know that you are capable of winning.”

McGinley took that advice to heart and still had some scoring left in her.

She carried her scoring streak into Saturday’s Michigan game. Four minutes into the contest, McGinley scored on a penalty shot with an assist from Stewart and Stairs. By this time McGinley had already moved up to No. 7 all-time scorer.

McGinley followed up on her own goal twice, the first came on a pass by Tara Maguire, which the Medord (N.J.) machine re-directed into the Wolverine goal. Late in the first half McGinley scored again on a penalty corner with an assist from Stewart and Stairs bringing her to No. 6 in the all-time scorers.

Early in the second half, Heather Atkinson interluded with a goal of her own, but McGinley could not let it go untouched, and she registered an assist in the goal.

Penn State with a 4-0 lead replaced goalkeeper Meister with sophomore goalkeeper Paulette Thompson.

Gia Biagi of Michigan scored on Thompson. Penn State answered through McGinley with her fourth goal of the game with an assist from Stairs.

McGinley then became the No. 5 all-time career goal scorer with 49 career goals. Ironically, the player whose holds the No. 4 position is Morett. Morett also holds the record for scoring the most goals in a single game. McGinley had a chance to tie that record with a penalty corner late in the game.

Morett knew that she held the record for the number of goals in a game, and with a comfortable lead decided to make light of the situation.

“I knew that I held the record for goals in a game at five,” Morett said. “So, for fun, I had signalled for someone else to take the shot. I changed the play to give Chris the shot, but she did not score.”

Danielle Annibale finished off the Lady Lion scoring with an assist from Jen Coletta.

In the Icer’s Blue-White game, Coach Joe Battista discovered some exciting new dimensions to his hockey team’s game, namely depth and size.

“I think that we’re going to have the kind of team that we have the potential to have a different group of guys come to the forefront each night,” Battista said. “I don’t think that we’re going to have to rely on any one individual. There are a lot of guys capable of scoring the goals.”

The Icers have 31 players this year, and many of them are returning veterans.

With all of this returning talent, Battista plans to use a platoon system this year to take advantage of the Icers’ depth.

“There will be games, where on a Friday night we will come at you with one line up,” Battista said. “Then the next night we will come back at you with five or six new fresh players. We’ll use our depth to our advantage, it is an advantage that a lot of other teams won’t have. It does make a difference, we saw that last year. And it keeps us honest too. If anybody gets complacive, there’s always someone anxious to take his place.”

Knowing that this is not a young team, Battista said that he plans to push the team hard this weekend.

“We only have four true freshmen,” he said. “By far we are not a young team, so my expectations for the team is going to be high. I plan to challenge them.”

The team is well aware of its plentiful talent, and a lot of what will happen to the Icers depends upon what they make of it.

“This team can take one of two routes” Battista said. “They can look around and say ‘hey we’ve got a lot of talent, we’re good,’ and just go through the motions, in which case this won’t be a good year.

“Or, they could look and say ‘hey, this is tremendous, this is an opportunity’, and if they remember this, and work they could make this a great season.”

Battista said that he feals that a lot depends on the team’s work ethic, character, and their commitment. He said that when those three intangibles are present a certain chemistry comes out, and this is something Battista wishes he could give directly to his team.

“I wish I could bottle it and give it to the team,” Battista said. “You never quite know how the team is going to mesh, and that is a big thing.”

The Icers have become known for their small, quick offensive teams, but this year they find themselves with four players who are 6-foot-3 or bigger, and even more who are at least 180-pounds. Battista says that he looks to see a more physical Icers team than previous years, but still hopes to hold the offensive quickness.

“I don’t want this to be a solely physical or a solely offensive team,” Battista said. “I would like to see a balance of the two.”

Battista was also pleased with the defensive effort, and he felt that all four goalies had a strong showing in the intrasquad scrimmage that resembled a regulation match.

“Our goal keeping was solid,” he said. “It is good to know that if somebody is having an off night, that we have two or three good men to back him up.”

Derek Lecours, who Battista felt had been struggling lately, performed well, and Battista attributed that to his hard work.

“He’s one of the hardest workers you’d ever want to see,” Battista said. “He had a great game tonight, and I think that will be a great boost to his confidence.”

Paul Graf, an assistant grad coach, was the coach of the white team and is the Icer’s goal coach.

“All four goalies looked great,” Graf said “Right now Johnny Gray is our number one goalie, and we’re still looking to find number two. All three had a good showing, and it makes the decision even harder, but it is good to know that we have that kind of choice.”

Assistant Coach Bill Masullo, was coaching the Blue team, and said that he felt that the Blue-White game shows more than would a regular controlled scrimage. He said that he saw a “lot of good stuff from the younger guys.” Masullo said that his team was stacked with some unexperienced players, and he had a better chance to look at them.

Battista said that everybody is fighting for positions, and said that the Blue-White game is important because this is the player’s chance to showcase themselves.

“When you look at evaluating players, it is a lot like looking at the stock market,” Battista said. “Some guy’s stock rises, some guy’s fall, but tommorrow is a new day. If a player had a good or bad game today, it doesn’t mean that the same will hold true tommorow. What you are looking for are the players or the stock that is the most consistent.”

Forward Kelly Heiser said the Lady Lions will play Iowa and Michigan this weekend with no sticks barred.

“We have our second chance (at Iowa),” Heiser said. “We will not leave anything undone this time.”

The Lady Lions played stride for stride with the brutal Hawkeyes on Oct. 4, and they had plenty of opportunities to score, but did not convert. They plan to play a similar game this time, except this time they plan to win.

“We’re not trying to do anything different,” Stewart said. “We out played them last time.”

But they didn’t win, losing 2-1 in a last minute heartbreaker. The Lady Lions did, however, make their entrance into the Big Ten known.

The Lady Lions are now part of the round-robin competition of the Big Ten, which gives them a second shot at the brutal Hawkeyes.

This time, No. 3 Penn State has to face the undefeated No. 2 Hawkeyes without the skill of junior defender Becca Main. Main dislocated her shoulder during practice this week, and will be out for two weeks. Main was a vital cog in the Lady Lion defense, and was the snuffer on penalty corners. The Hawkeyes scored the winning goal against Penn State on a penalty corner.

Main will be replaced by Sharon Kuntz, who was a starter last year.

In their Oct. 4 meeting, both teams dominated on offense and defense, but the match was a stalemate. Until the Hawkeye’s Kristy Gleason scored on a penalty corner with one minute left. Stewart said the Lady Lions failed to convert on some key opportunities. She says it will not happen again.

“We’ve got to take chances,” Stewart said. “We’ve got nothing to lose. They see us as the underdogs, and we plan to take full advantage of that vision, we’re going to beat them on their home turf.”

Since the loss to Iowa, the Lady Lions have played some lackluster field hockey beating Penn 1-0 and both Michigan schools by a 2-1 margin.

Iowa Coach Beth Beglin said she feels that Penn State was just looking past the smaller games to its rematch with Iowa.

“The Big Ten is such a powerful conference that if you try to look past a team you get tripped up,” Beglin said. “We’ve been guilty of the same things in the past few weeks. We just haven’t been playing well the past two weeks.”

One source of consistency for the Lady Lions has been Chris McGinley, who is currently the second highest scorer in the NCAA behind Iowa’s Gleason. McGinley is eighth on all-time scoring list at Penn State.

Heiser said that obviously, they cannot look past Iowa, but she feels the Lady Lions had an intense week of practice.

“If we play the game that we played last time,” Heiser said. “We will beat them. We’re just too intense to lose.”

Amy Stairs is a prime example that you can achieve what you want, if you are willing to work for it.

Through her hard work and genuine love for competition, Stairs has ascended from a non-scholarship walk-on to a vital player for the field hockey team.

Walk-ons are indeed a rare breed, and it takes a dedicated athlete to make the team. But Stairs not only made it, she is now a co-captain, and leads the Lady Lions with 11 assists.

Coach Char Morett said when Stairs enrolled at Penn State she had a strong desire to improve. Stairs didn’t start a single game in her freshman year and sophomore year, yet Morett offered her a scholarship.

“She has an amazing work ethic,” Morett said. “She didn’t start a single game, but I knew she would be good in time. That’s why she got the scholarship. Anybody that works that hard has to come out good.”

Chris McGinley, who is the leading scorer for the Lady Lions, said she remembers standing on the sidelines with Stairs.

“We called ourselves temporary help,” McGinley said. “But obviously that’s changed now.”

Stairs, who has started at five different positions this season, has earned the respect of her team and her opponents. As a senior co-captain, Stairs said that she leads by example putting everything she has into every practice and every game.

“She works hard every day,” Morret said. “Be it practice or be it game she is always giving it all she’s got.” “She is quiet, but her hard work is an encouragement to everybody,” Morret added.

Defender Becca Main said that Stairs is under-recognized because she is so quiet, and yet she’s the one everyone looks to for guidance.

“She never gets the credit she deserves,” Main said, “because she is so quiet. She is a leader by task not by words, and unfortunately people take the tasks for granted. Everybody expects her to be great. And she is great.”

Stairs’ strong work ethic has made her an ideal role model for the younger players to follow, especially the ones who sit on the bench.

Stairs has been working wherever her team needs her most this year.

“She has an excellent working knowledge of the game,” Morett said. “This helps her to excel no matter where the team needs her to be.”

Stairs sees herself as a team player, and said she will do whatever it takes to win.

“She is a well rounded person both on and off of the field,” Morett said. “She is wholeheartedly committed to the program.”

A big part of her commitment comes from her Penn State background.

Both her father and sister are Penn State alumni, and both played a large role in her attending Penn State.

She was raised in an athletic family, and participated in sports throughout her career at Hempfield High School. Both her mother and sister played field hockey, teaching her the basics of the sport. Stairs also lettered in track as a middle distance runner, triple jumper, and a middle distance runner.

No matter what the sport or position, Stairs puts her life into her work, and enjoys it. Her loyalty to her team, and her pride in Penn State bleeds through every time she steps onto the field.

“She is the most compassionate person I know,” Main said. “She always has everything planned out, and pushes that limit a step beyond. She is very goal oriented. She brings the best out of everyone, and everybody likes to see her succeed.”