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Field Hockey 2008 Outlook

            “Everything’s up for grabs,” says Rachael Allison, head coach of the Highlanders field hockey team. She’s talking about what to expect for the women’s upcoming season, which will be her first at the helm. “I think you can look for a lot to change.”

            Allison has already named her three returning seniors—Arryn Prince (Severna Park, MD/Chesapeake High school), Amanda Brenon (Endwell, NY/Maine-Endwell)and Ashley Farr (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls High School) as tri-captains. “They have provided strong leadership in this time of transition,” Allison says, “so I feel comfortable having them share the captaincy.”

            She’s also comfortable with Farr as the team’s lone goaltender. “She does really well,” Allison says, “so that’s a good place to start.” Farr will need to be on top of her game, because the three seniors who graduated from the 2007 team—Kathleen Griego, Elizabeth Mueller and Ashley Pink—were all defenders.

            “We have two good defenders coming in,” Allison says, referring to Ashley Daigler (Elma, NY/Iroquois Central School) and Jillian Watts (Harrisburg, PA/Susquehanna Township High School). Allison also likes the addition of Ruth Doolittle, who is transferring in from West Chester State and played in a strong program at Penn Manor High School.

            On offense, 2007’s top goal scorer, junior Ashley Hoffman (Webster, NY/Webster-Thomas High School), returns with her finishing touch that produced 15 goals and three assists. Also returning to add scoring punch are Jennifer Huyett (Stevens, PA/Garden Spot High School), who had five goals and five assists, and Brenon, who added four goals and six assists. Two of the top four scorers are gone, though, accounting for 19 goals and seven assists.

            Allison will spend the early part of preseason practice evaluating the returning players and deciding on a formation to use. She prefers to use a diamond up front, supported by two midfielders and two defenders with two wings. However, she notes, “the formation will depend on what I see from the players. We may wind up playing a traditional 4-3-3.”

            The team will be hard-pressed early, as the schedule kicks off with perennial power and defending NCAA Division II champion Bloomsburg, followed by a tough tilt with SUNY Cortland. “We’ll be tested right away,” says Allison. She also acknowledges that since she has spent most of her playing and coaching careers in Pennsylvania she’s not familiar with many of the programs at the New York state schools that dominate the rest of the Highlanders’ schedule. “It’s just another new thing for me to learn,” Allison notes.

            In the many new situations she and the team will face, Allison intends to draw on the coaching philosophy of an old, and very reliable source, John Wooden. “He says ‘success is playing your best when your best is needed,’ and if you do that, then winning will take care of itself,” Allison notes, “I hope that we’ll be able to achieve that this season.”