The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s field hockey team has grown strong in this challenging season.
With conferences changing Head Coach Rebecca Chambers said the team saw a big difference in the level of competition carrying on in the Division II schedule.
Pamela Weldon, a sophomore said, “We had a challenging year so far with entering into the NCAA and playing more Division II teams. Overall though, our team has worked really hard and has played together very well.”
By Bethany Merryman
Contributor
The Seton Hill University (SHU) women’s field hockey team has grown strong in this challenging season. With conferences changing head coach Rebecca Chambers said the team saw a big difference in the level of competition carrying on in the Division II schedule.
Pamela Weldon, a sophomore said, “We had a challenging year so far with entering into the NCAA and playing more Division II teams. Overall though, our team has worked really hard and has played together very well.”
Chambers said, “They [the team] did well coming together and working as a team.”
“The team bonded and played well together as a unit,” said Caroline Smith, a freshman.
With more difficult schedules, Chambers would like to see the team close the gap on the stronger teams and improve their overall record. “I would like to continue to rise in the Division II standings,” said Chambers. The team’s record is 7-11 so far this season.
Weldon and Smith both agree that one of the most memorable moments of this season was their earlier game against Mercyhurst College. Weldon said, “It was a very challenging game, and you could tell that we wanted to play and win so badly that day. We came with our hearts in the game.”
“[During the Mercyhurst game] Our couch called a time out three minutes before the end and told us to play with our hearts and souls and give everything because we weren’t losing that game,” said Smith. The team scored in the last two minutes of the game and won in overtime.
“I believe that when we play against other teams we always say, ‘Lets play out the game like we did against Mercyhurst’,” explained Weldon.
Although the team lost many of players last year to graduation, Chambers said the freshmen have done well stepping up to the challenge. “[They performed] exceptionally well. Their game sense will come with time and experience, but they worked very hard everyday. It was a strong recruiting class,” said Chambers.
Along with the exceptional freshmen players, the whole team worked hard to achieve their goals. “Our one goal as a team was communication and as every team knows, that is one thing you need in a team to be able to play,” said Weldon.
Smith said, “I think we have accomplished a lot from preseason to now, which has allowed us to grow as a team. I think there is a lot of potential and promise for the team in the future.”
The future looks bright according to Chambers who said, “We are trying to build a winning tradition.” Women’s field hockey ended their season with a game against Mercyhurst College on Tuesday, October 30.