Category: Sportswriting Page 5 of 7

If there ever were a phrase to capture the essence of senior co-captain Jen Stewart it would be, “Warning-I am subject to bursts of enthusiasm.”

“She is always the first person to pump us up,” said freshman starter Tara Maguire. “She has such a love for field hockey, that her enthusiasm inspires the rest of us to play harder.”

Coach Char Morett said Stewart puts everything she has into every game and every practice. “She is a natural leader, and is always trying to fire everyone up,” Morett added.

Stewart, however, has another side.

“She’s always keeping people light,” Morett said. “which is kind of ironic, because she takes everything she does so seriously. This seriousness has made her a talented athlete.”

Stewart vowed the Lady Lions will never underestimate an opponent again like they did Tuesday against UPenn. The Lady Lions travel to Michigan this weekend battle Michigan and Michigan State where the senior Stewart can showcase her talent.

Stewart’s skill and character are a major reason why she has started since her freshman year. Because of this, Stewart is sympathetic to the freshmen, and she knows what they are going through.

“I understand their position,” Stewart said. “I got homesick a lot and I was upset every time we traveled, but it still couldn’t overcome the great feeling I had knowing that I was starting for Penn State.”

When Stewart came to Penn State, she had a genuine desire to win, and a dedication to being the most competitive player she could possibly be, said Morett. She added that Stewart had excellent ball control, and her stickwork was great.

“Jenny’s stickwork is tops,” Morett said. “And she came from an excellent program in highschool.”

Stewart wasn’t always a field hockey player; she started out attending a Catholic school, and it offered soccer. She played actively through junior high school when she moved to a public school. The public school did not offer soccer as a fall sport, so she decided to play field hockey in the fall and soccer in the spring.

Her high school field hockey Coach Sheila Murphy said that Stewart was a very mature player, a perfectionist, even in high school. Murphy described Stewart as outgoing.

“The element that she displayed outright was her seriousness in wanting to excel,” Murphy said. “She sacrificed most of her summers to field hockey. She had most of the concepts from soccer, and picked up on the rest very quickly.”

In her three years of high school, Stewart played a different position each year. That explains her power to dominate every aspect of the game.

Stewart reaffirmed her threat as a scorer, tallying the only Lady Lion goal against UPenn. Her defensive skills have been an undisputed asset to the Lady Lions’ game.

But, Stewart’s greatest physical asset to the team is her ability to weave the ball between defenders.

“When I came here on my recruiting trip,” Maguire said. “I saw a video, and there was Jen, I watched her weave through four or five defenders. It was amazing.”

Becca Main roomed with Stewart their freshmen year, and said that Stewart was an inspiration then.

“I thought, ‘Wow! Somebody in my class starting’,” Main said. “It really gave me something to drive for.”

Main said she gets nervous if Stewart is quiet before a game, because it is always a comfort to hear the positive assurance in Stewart’s voice during pre-game.

“Nobody beats us on this turf,” is Stewart’s battle cry before every home game. This held true through Penn State’s recent 26-home game winning streak.

Stewart said it is always a rush to play at home, and she feels that they play a more intense game when the crowd supports them.

Co-captain Amy Stairs said she looks to Stewart on the field for the support and necessary communication.

“She has a grasp on everything that is going on around,” Stairs said. “She’ll pick you up if you do something bad, and congratulate you if you do something good, she’s always positive.”

If Stewart is an indicator of the Lady Lions’ prevailing attitude, Penn State is back on the prowl.

The No. 3 Lady Lion field hockey team meandered lethargically past the unranked University of Pennsylvania.

Penn State was calling for an emotional clash with the Quakers, who were riding on a six game winning streak, but the Lady Lions managed a slight thud at best in their 1-0 victory yesterday. They began as if they were out to boil some Quaker oats; however, moments into the game, the flame was turned to low.

Coach Char Morett said that they started the match big, but soon came down and played the remainder of the match without emotion.

“We were strong the first five minutes, but then we took them for granted,” said Morett. “I don’t know if it was because we were tired, but we just didn’t have any spark.”

Both teams creeped through the first half without feeling or scoring. At the end of the first half Morett pulled co-captain Jen Stewart out of the game. Morett felt that she just wasn’t producing the big plays that the Lady Lions needed.

“I took Jenny out of the game,” Morett said. “She did not start the second half. I told her that if she went in she had to make things happen.”

Make things happen she did, with only five minutes left in the game Stewart cranked a flaring slapshot from the 20 yard line, buzzing past Quaker goalkeeper Sue Pures.

“The ball really banged the boards,” Morett said.

Stewart, who is typically known as a support player with 10 assists, stepped up to show her leadership, and bring the only goal of the game.

The Quakers made a brief attempt at a come back; with only two minutes left, the Quakers took a solid shot at freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister, who has the highest save percentage in the Big Ten at .818%.

Penn State did not convert on any of their eight penalty corners, which are usually their strong point. Three of the penalty corners were bobbled, three were saved, and two did not make the shot.

The Lady Lions only had 13 shots on goal for the day, and only allowed five by the Quakers. Meister had three saves, and Pures had five, three of which came on penalty corners.

UPenn was the first of five consecutive away games for the Lady Lions.

In retrospect, the field hockey team feels that its loss to No. 2 Iowa had some positive repercussions.

“I’m glad it happened now,” said junior defender Becca Main. “It could have hurt us much more later in the season. Now we can learn to recover.”

This recovery process should not be a strenuous one; the quality of play doesn’t get any better than last Sunday’s battle with Iowa. Both teams played flawless field hockey.

“It takes a highly competitive game to show you what you need to improve,” Main said.

So, to heed Main’s words, they need to carry some of that flawless field hockey down to Philadelphia as the No. 3 Lady Lions hike to Quakerland for an intrastate shindig with Pennsylvania.

Revenge may also be a motive for the Lady Lions because the Quakers knocked them out of the final four two years ago.

“I feel bad for them,” Main said. “We’re going to be going out there with a lot of aggression and frustration from Iowa. Two years ago they (UPenn) eliminated us from the final four, and there’s still some revenge lingering there.”

This revenge may spark the aggression that the Lady Lions unleashed on the Big Ten last weekend. In previous games, they were content to just sit back and see what the other teams had, and then try to adjust to it, Main said.

“I think we’ve realized that we are as competitive as anybody else,” said forward Danielle Annibale. “And from the first whistle we have to get to every ball. We are finally clicking as a team.”

The team has had problems passing between defenders and midfielders and between the midfielders and forwards. They have also grown into a habit of passing before they look for openings.

Annibale said that the team hopes to resolve these glitches before they square off with Iowa again next week. Beating Iowa would prove very little, however, if the Lady Lions do not make oatmeal of the Quakers.

“We cannot look past UPenn,” Annibale said. “That will be a big game for us; if we do, they will burn us.”

Every game has become a big game for the Lady Lions, they are ranked No. 3 in the nation and have become everybody’s team to beat.

“We are living up to our rank,” said Amy Stairs. “And we are trying to show everyone just who Penn State is, and what we are capable of.”

Once Penn State gains game experience and technique, it has the potential to win the conference and quite possibly the NCAAs.

But before they can take the conference and even think about returning to the final four, they must go one week at a time getting up for each game. UPenn is first on that agenda, and Main feels the Lady Lions are back on the prowl.

The mental aspect of the Lady Lions’ field hockey game has become the key to unleashing their relentless physical game.

“Physically, we are capable of beating any team in the conference,” Becca Main said, “but to do this we have to get our mental game going.”

In Penn State’s 4-0 shutout over Ohio State the Lady Lions looked like a complete new team. They were playing with a previously absent aggression and emotion. These factors added a dimension to the Penn State team that caught everyone off guard.

The Lady Lions came into the game with a roar; they were passing aggressively, defense was unimpeachable, and for the first time this season their attack was on the move. They were playing relentless field hockey.

The Lady Lions finally began to take advantage of some key opportunities. Main, who is typically a steal and clear defender, was showing her stick skills as she dribbled the ball through the Buckeye defenders easily and skillfully.

“The passes weren’t there,” said Main, “and I had to move the ball upfield, and did what I could to help.”

On the few occasions that the ball did find its way into Penn State territory, the Lady Lion defense was quick to send it back to Buckeye territory. Penn State’s defense only allowed a single Buckeye shot on goal in the entire first half.

The McGinley-Co-captain connection did all of the first half scoring. The first came about ten minutes into the game, when McGinley, assisted by Co-captains Jen Stewart and Amy Stairs, slapped a penalty corner shot past Buckeye goalkeeper Sue Wilson. In a similar situation approaching the end of the first half, the McGinley connection hooked up again.

Penn State may have been just a little too comfortable with their 2-0 halftime lead; in the beginning of the second half the Buckeyes controlled the pace. Ohio took three quick shots on goal, and seemed to have a second chance, until Danielle Annibale stole the ball, and scored unassisted on a break away goal.

“I saw Kirt (Benedict) and thought that I would have to pass,” Annibale said. “Then the goalkeeper came running out, and hit the ball right back onto my stick when she went down. So I took advantage of the the situation, and prayed it went in.”

The Lady Lions used every available player to try to conserve some energy for the Iowa match.

“I wanted to rest some people for Sunday,” Morett said. “We have a lot of talent, so we can afford to do these things.”

The rest seemed to do the Lady Lions plenty of good, when they came out yesterday against Iowa, they still had the momentum rolling from the Ohio match, unfortunately momentum was not quite enough. The Lady Lions suffered their first loss to the undefeated Hawkeyes 2-1.

The match became a battle of the midfields, and it was quite evenly matched. The ball never spent an extended period of time in either territory. Chris Blais was key to the Lion defense, any time the ball was on the move Blais was either responsible or in hot pursuit.

Both Blais and Main played above and beyond the call of duty. Not only were they impassable on defense, they were key to the attack.

“We stepped everything up a notch today,” said Blais. “Everybody wanted this one real bad.”

The scoring in in the match didn’t start until late in the first half. Kristy Gleason, who has 79 career goals, with an assist from Jamie Rofrano and scored on a penalty corner with seven minutes left in the half.

The goal didn’t seem to phase the Lady Lion morale. The Lady Lions marched back down the field with authority, 43 seconds later, Tara Maguire fed Mcginley a hard pass from close to the sideline. McGinley, in turn, scored on a slapshot to the opposite corner past Sue Wilson, who was goalkeeper for the United States team.

The remainder of the half was gridlocked, and both teams gave and took key opportunities. This continued into the second half, and both teams seemed unwilling to budge.

Iowa coach, Beth Beglin vowed to target Penn State’s freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister, and test her skills. Meister had seven saves to answer Beglin’s vow. The Lady Lion defense had an answer of their own, not to let Iowa’s attack near the goal. Both succeded, Iowa’s only scores came on penalty corners.

It was one of the most evenly matched games in the conference. The cards could have fallen in either direction. Penn State had three penalty corner shot opportunities and Iowa had two. It seemed as if the game were going into overtime. With only three minutes remaining, Penn State had a penalty corner opportunity, but failed to convert.

Iowa then answered 30 seconds later with their own penalty corner, when a push from behind was called on the Lady Lions. Gleason, with the assist from Rofrano and Bybel, scored the game winner.

“We were pushing the entire game,” said Blais, “it was a physical match, and sometimes it happens. There’s not much you can do except do better.”

The goal seemed to take the wind out of the Lady Lion sails, but they still managed to put forth an effort to score. In the last seconds Main made an attempt to clear the ball, however, time ran out before the ball made it out of bounds.

The Lady Lions prooved that despite their lack of experience, they could match the best. They made a major statement with their entrance into the Big Ten. With one wrong step by a goalkeeper or a harder shot by a forward, Penn State could’ve beat the best. They are still hungry and plan to maintain this level of play throughout the season.

“We play UPenn away on Tuesday, and have a few more big games before we play Iowa again,” said Stairs. “That’s when we are going to show them how it feels to loose at home.”

A combination of working a new system and the better than expected play of Temple’s Lady Owls made for a slow start on the part of the Lady Lions in their 4-2 victory last night.

“It was a classic Penn State-Temple game,” said Coach Char Morett. “It is always an aggressive game, but they came out better than we expected.”

Penn State was working with a 2-4 system hoping to open up the sidelines. Temple completely shut off those sidelines with a powerful defense and was forced to try to pass up the middle.

Temple weaved the ball through the usually stingy defense because the Lady Lions defense was flat on their paws almost the entire first half. They allowed two first-half Temple goals.

Temple’s Crystal Carr started the Lady Owl’s scoring about 11 minutes into the game, when she deflected a loose ball past Penn State goalkeeper Shelly Meister.

“I was looking for the shot,” Meister said, “and the tip supprised me, there wasn’t much I could do.”

Chris McGinley answered with a Lady Lion goal with an assist from co-captains Jen Stewart and Amy Stairs. McGinley was ranked among the top scorers in the nation and she had a hat trick in last night’s game.

Temple was quick to respond 50 seconds later when Tony Byard bounced a penalty corner shot off of the ankle of Jill Pearsall. Byard then took the ensuing penalty shot, which blew by Meister.

Penn State came out for the second half with more liveliness to their game. The Penn State defense held up to its reputation, and held the Temple offense silent for the second half. The offense punched it up a gear, and scored three second-half goals.

Jill Pearsall started the second half scoring about two minutes into the half when she slammed a penalty shot past Temple goalkeeper Lori Benner, which tied the game at 2-2.

McGinley scored the game winning goal, with assists from Stairs and Stewart once again on a penalty corner.

“She (McGinley) is a scorer,” Morett said. “Our goal was to put it into the circle hard, and that was what we did.”

Five minutes later McGinley capped the scoring with her hat trick goal, which came on a slapshot from on the right into the left corner of the goal.

It was a poor shooting match for both offenses.

“We didn’t capitalize on our opportunities,” said Stairs. “We need to capitalize.”

Penn State’s offense seemed to almost underestimate the No. 10 Lady Owls.

“They came to beat us,” said McGinley. “It is always a tough match, and we can’t take them lightly like we did in the first half.”

Penn State had only 15 shots on goal as to Temple’s 18. Temple made their shots count, Meister had 12 saves on the day, and Temple’s Benner had 9.

“I think this game helped us to prepare for the big weekend” said Stairs.

Penn State will play its first Big Ten game this Friday at Penn State.

When Becca Main joined the field hockey team, she came on as a non-scholarship walk on who had plenty of potential, but little experience.

Since that time Main has earned her way to being one of the top defenders in the nation. She attributes her success to her teammates and her Coach Char Morett for having faith in her.

“I played field hockey through high school, and I enjoyed it, but I didn’t have the coaching that I needed,” Main said. “I played, but I wasn’t a player. Coach Morett’s coaching skills and her influence made me a player.”

This season Main has become more than a player, she has become a leader.

Last week in the Lady Lion’s scoreless tie with Maryland, Main played one of her strongest defensive games ever. Although Penn State’s offense was silent, the defense was immaculate. Her stick play was topps and her defense was impassable.

“I’m always communicating with the other defenders wile we’re on the field,” Main said. “They understand that I’m not being pushy, and I’m just trying to let everybody know what is going on, so we can do our jobs. That is very important to me, I am a very competitive player.”

Main will exemplify her competitiveness along with her No. 3 ranked teammates as they take on former Atlantic Ten foe Temple at 4 today on the turf next to Holuba Hall.

“Temple has always been a big game for us,” Main said. “They always push us to be our best.”

Main has always put her best foot forward. Before she had any of the training necessary to make her the defender she is today, she still managed to do well with what she had.

“She has a lot of heart,” said teammate Meredith Mandracchia. “And she is one of the most talented players I’ve ever seen!”

Even in high school her talent was apparent.

In high school, Main was selected as Pennsbury High School’s best female athlete. She held her school’s record for the 200 meter dash in 26.4 seconds. She was a key defender on her high school’s field hockey team. And she was also chosen for the All-Suburban I choice.

Upon her graduation she was torn as to choose which school she would lend her talent and which sport it would be in. She had offers from numerous schools for either track or field hockey and she paid visits to many of them trying to decide which school to attend.

During Main’s senior year, Pennsbury High decided that their field hockey coach was not bringing out the potential in the team, and hired a new coach, who happened to be a personal friend of Morett. Main’s new coach recommended Main to Morett.

Morett then invited Main to Penn State to check out the campus and the sports programs. She liked the campus and decided that Penn State was the school for her. However, she still had to choose between track and field hockey.

Three years later, it seems that Main made the wise decision of sticking with field hockey despite her deficencies in the sport. She said that she has an affection for team sports, and that affection was one of the major influences in her decision to play field hockey.

“I love being part of a team,” Main said. “It is much more gratifying to me to be a part (of it).”

As a freshman, Main walked on and opted to redshirt that year taking into account her five year major and lack of collegiate experience.

“I was overwhelmed by the big university,” Main said. “I knew that I would be here an extra year anyway because my major was excercise science. It was a very concious decision on my part, and I feel that it was to my benefit.”

Main also possesses a unique sense of humor and she tries to find the lighter side of every situation. Unfortunately for a player that redshirts, there are not many lighter sides. Main, though, made the most of it.

“I was the person who carried the equipment, didn’t have a uniform, and had to practice every day knowing that I wouldn’t get into the game,” she said. “But I feel that I gained the skill that I needed.”

Morett said that she admires Main’s dedication to the team, not just as a player, but as a supporter.

“Even when she wasn’t playing, she would be the first person off of the bench to congratulate somebody,” Morett said.

Main’s friend Mandracchia agreed that Main is a role model both on and off of the field.

“She is always cheery, and supportive of everyone, especially me, and she is always happy to see somebody else succeed,” Mandracchia said.

Mandracchia and Main joke about the lack of recognition that defenders get, and rather than complain, Main has been known to call certain under-recognized players and perform a mock media interview, and bring light to it at practice that night.

“It’s hard to be on a team with all that talent, but Becca makes the difference to what could’ve been a difficult time.” Mandracchia said.

“I know how left out I felt when I didn’t play, and so I try to ease that tension by adding humor to the situation,” Main said.

Morett sees Main trying to ease the tension whenever Morett’s riding another player, but when the criticism falls toward Main, Main tends to take it personally.

“I know she can do better,” Morett said, “I am just pushing her to be the best that she can be. I do believe that she is an excellent player, and I want her to realize what she is capable of doing.”

Main has harnessed some of this talent, and has become a key defender for the Lady Lions.

“I go out every game telling myself that I am going to keep everyone in front of me,” Main said. “No one is going to get by me, and I will do whatever it takes to make sure of it.”

Main said that she feels that the Lady Lions’ new style spotlights her style of play.

“The 3-3-3-1-1 spreads the field out width wise, and it allows me to use my speed to my benefit,” Main said. “I really hope to crush them (Temple).”

While in Venezuela playing for the United States Junior team, Kirt Benedict served both her team and her classwork in a way that she never expected.

Benedict served as the team translator in Venezuela. She said that she is less than fluent, but she knew enough to get by. She helped the players to check into the hotel, get rides, and generally any other excuse to practice her Spanish.

Both Jill Pearsall and Benedict had their notes faxed to them daily to keep up with their classes during their three week competition. Benedict said that she had a friend take notes for her also, but she feels that she still has a lot of catching up to do.

“I am the type of person who needs to be in class,” Benedict said, “I kept up on the work side, but I’ll have to see what effect the absences had.”

“We didn’t have much time for a social life,” said Benedict, “let alone the school work.”

The team ranked fifth overall. Only the top three teams qualified to go to Spain. To eliminate ties in records, they based the ranks on points scored. To rank in the top three, the U.S. team would have to beat Canada by 2.

Both Pearsall and Benedict made reference to the Canada game as their most memorable experience.

“There was two minutes left and the game was scoreless,” said Benedict, “We needed the two points to win, then we scored. It all seemed in reach, we didn’t get the two points we needed, but we did win, and it was a great game.”

Pearsall agreed, “Both teams played similar styles, it made for an exciting game.”

Benedict said that she attributed the team’s low ranking and low score to inconsistent play. She said that her biggest difficulty was the constant adjustment in style. She feels that this constant adjustment will improve both her and Pearsall’s game.

“Playing at that level, among the best of the best,” Benedict said, “was a good experience, but now I am glad to be back and I’m psyched to play for Penn State again.”

Now both Pearsall and Benedict are back to Penn State and ready to hit the ground rolling. Both players started last season, but will find themselves in some stiff competition for their positions.

“I’m going to treat it as if they were injured starters,” Coach Char Morett said, “they will have to work their way back in.”

In Venezuela, Pearsall said that playing among all the top players, has helped her to become more of a team player. She said that she will help Penn State in any way possible.

“It doesn’t matter if I start or not,” said Pearsall, “I will do what ever the team needs me to.”

Benedict and Pearsall will only have one practice before Penn State’s game tonight against No. 4 Maryland. Penn State was ranked No. 5 in pre-season poll, and has steadily moved up the NCAA poll. Penn State is currently ranked at No. 3.

“The team developed a high level of intensity this weekend,” said Morett, “I would like to see that carry over into Wednesdays game, the return of Kirt and Jill can only add to it.”

This weekend the field hockey team established a comfortable cushion between itself and the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the Mideast region.

Saturday afternoon the Lady Lions, who are ranked No. 1 regionally, defeated their host, the No. 3 ranked University of Connecticut, by a score of 3-1.

Chris McGinley with an assist from Jen Stewart started the Lady Lion scoring with a penalty corner about 22 minutes into the first half. Only 24 seconds later, Danielle Annibale scored on a pass from Marcy Kolongowski to make the score 2-0. Heather Atkinson capped off the Lady Lion scoring toward the end of the first half.

The only second half scoring was done by UConn’s Sarah Rahn, when she alluded freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister about 10 minutes into the second half. The Lady Lions outshot the Huskies 20-6. Meister had five saves on the day.

Coach Char Morett said that she was quite pleased with their play thus far within the region. She said she feels that the Lady Lions made an excellent transition from playing on turf to playing on Uconn’s grass.

“I am really pleased,” said Morett, “Each game we’ve improved.”

Yesterday afternoon, when they travelled to Lafayette, the Lady Lions stepped up early to establish their superiority over the No. 2 ranked Leopards.

The Lady Lions, in their 4-0 shutout of the Leopards, more than justified their top ranking in the Mideast region. They came out big and stayed big throughout the game.

Two minutes into the first half, McGinley, with an assist from Stewart, scored on a penalty corner, which was her second goal of the weekend. Kolongowski, who also established herself as a power-player for the Lions, followed up with an unassisted goal. Kolongowski redirected a rebound from the Lafayette goalkeeper’s leg guard and scored to make the score 2-0 in favor of the still undefeated Lady lions.

Kolongowski started off the Lady Lion scoring for the second half. Fifteen minutes into the second half, senior co-captian Amy Stairs made a pass across the mouth of the goal, which Kolongowski then slapped for the third Lion goal.

Kolongowski had to miss the first game of the season due to a back injury. Since that time she has returned and established herself as an agressive player. Today she scored her first career goal, and also added another goal and an assist to her credit this weekend.

“She’s comming on strong,” said Morett, “especially since her bad back.”

The Lady Lions received a team warning in the first half for having a player within five yards of a free shot. During the second half, in a similar incident, Chris Blais was ejected. The loss of a player did not phase the Lady Lions.

McGinley scored the last Lion goal five minutes later, when she chipped a shot over the Leopard goalkeeper’s head. The Lady Lions out shot the Leopards 20-6.

“It’s really difficult playing on grass,” said Morett, “but they hustled like crazy. Plus we we were a player down the second half.”

Morett is more than elated with the Lady Lion’s performance to date. They have moved up one from No. 5 to No. 4 in the NCAA poll, and if they are consistent in their performance, they are likely to continue to climb the NCAA poll.

“This year’s team is the first team since I’ve been here that got the job done beyond my expectations,” closed Morett.

This weekend the field hockey team established a comfortable cushion between itself and the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the Mideast region.

Saturday afternoon the Lady Lions, who are ranked No. 1 regionally, defeated their host, the No. 3 ranked University of Connecticut, by a score of 3-1.

Chris McGinley with an assist from Jen Stewart started the Lady Lion scoring with a penalty corner about 22 minutes into the first half. Only 24 seconds later, Danielle Annibale scored on a pass from Marcy Kolongowski to make the score 2-0. Heather Atkinson capped off the Lady Lion scoring toward the end of the first half.

The only second half scoring was done by UConn’s Sarah Rahn, when she alluded freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister about 10 minutes into the second half. The Lady Lions outshot the Huskies 20-6. Meister had five saves on the day.

Coach Char Morett said that she was quite pleased with their play thus far within the region. She said she feels that the Lady Lions made an excellent transition from playing on turf to playing on Uconn’s grass.

“I am really pleased,” said Morett, “Each game we’ve improved.”

Yesterday afternoon, when they travelled to Lafayette, the Lady Lions stepped up early to establish their superiority over the No. 2 ranked Leopards.

The Lady Lions, in their 4-0 shutout of the Leopards, more than justified their top ranking in the Mideast region. They came out big and stayed big throughout the game.

Two minutes into the first half, McGinley, with an assist from Stewart, scored on a penalty corner, which was her second goal of the weekend. Kolongowski, who also established herself as a power-player for the Lions, followed up with an unassisted goal. Kolongowski redirected a rebound from the Lafayette goalkeeper’s leg guard and scored to make the score 2-0 in favor of the still undefeated Lady lions.

Kolongowski started off the Lady Lion scoring for the second half. Fifteen minutes into the second half, senior co-captian Amy Stairs made a pass across the mouth of the goal, which Kolongowski then slapped for the third Lion goal.

Kolongowski had to miss the first game of the season due to a back injury. Since that time she has returned and established herself as an agressive player. Today she scored her first career goal, and also added another goal and an assist to her credit this weekend.

“She’s comming on strong,” said Morett, “especially since her bad back.”

The Lady Lions received a team warning in the first half for having a player within five yards of a free shot. During the second half, in a similar incident, Chris Blais was ejected. The loss of a player did not phase the Lady Lions.

McGinley scored the last Lion goal five minutes later, when she chipped a shot over the Leopard goalkeeper’s head. The Lady Lions out shot the Leopards 20-6.

“It’s really difficult playing on grass,” said Morett, “but they hustled like crazy. Plus we we were a player down the second half.”

Morett is more than elated with the Lady Lion’s performance to date. They have moved up one from No. 5 to No. 4 in the NCAA poll, and if they are consistent in their performance, they are likely to continue to climb the NCAA poll.

“This year’s team is the first team since I’ve been here that got the job done beyond my expectations,” closed Morett.

Beyond dealing with the challenge of facing the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in its region, the field hockey team will have to make the transition from playing on turf to playing on grass.

No. 4 Penn State is currently ranked No. 1 in the region. The Lady Lions will play at No. 3 Connecticut tomorrow and at No. 2 Lafayette on Sunday.

“These are important games for us this weekend,” said Coach Char Morett, “the highest ranked team in each region gets an automatic bid.”

Most NCAA teams now play their games on turf. The turf causes many more stops in play when the ball rolls out of bounds. On the grass the ball stops short of going out of bounds and takes many odd bounces, which makes play faster paced and a lot more unpredictable.

“Because both games will be played away and on grass, it will make for a couple of very unpredictable matches,” said Assistant Coach Kristen Winters.

The games promise to be aggressive this weekend. Beyond the battle among the ranks, the inter-regional rivalries will add to the heat of the games.

“Both teams always come at us hard,” Winters added. “These games have always been big regional rivalries. It just means that we have to concentrate more, I know that we’re up to the challenge. We’ve practiced on grass all week, and I feel that we’re better prepared than we have been in the past.”

The Lady Lions don’t feel that the transition to playing on grass will affect their playing style. In some ways they feel that they can draw on some advantages that playing on turf wouldn’t normally provide.

“We’ve all played in grass before, and we know that there are some tough bounces, but there are advantages too,” said sophomore forward Chris Blais.

“I feel that I play better on grass,” added midfielder Jenn Coletta, “I have a longer reach, and the grass allows me to out run most of my opponents.”

Coach Morett said that the team will stick with its new system, and believes that the Lady Lions can be just as effective on the grass.

“I think the team looks really good on grass, and I think that we have a style that fits grass well,” Coletta added.

Freshman goalkeeper Shelly Meister said there is added pressure on the goalkeepers on grass surfaces. The ball spends a lot more time in the playing area. Goalkeepers must also adjust their typical style play to account for bad bounces.

“The only real difference is that I’ve gotta watch for bad bounces,” said Meister. “It is a hit and run match, the ball stops a lot more, and allows for more shots on goal, I have to keep my whole body in front of the ball. It makes for a tough game on the goals, but I think we have a good defense that will help to cut down on that.”

There are only seven returning starters for the Lady Lions, and many of the younger players are anxious to fill the open positions. Freshman Tara Maguire had a hat trick last week, and many other freshmen starters have played a major role thus far.

“We have a lot of young players that will do whatever it takes to win,” Winters said, “and I think that if they play to their potential they won’t be stopped.”