Senior Kate Jovanovic steals the ball during last
weekend's game against Christopher Newport.
ABBY MARGULIS / THE DEPAUW
Undefeated with a 4-0 record, DePauw University's women’s field hockey team enters this weekend’s North Coast Athletic Conference opener as strong as ever.
“It takes all 25 of us working hard each day at practice to be the best team we can be on game day,” DePauw head coach Gina Wills said.
That is the mindset Wills brings to her team every day. It seems to be working.
While the team lost a group of talented seniors to graduation, the first-years, led by forward Paige Berliner, have stepped into their roles. Berliner currently has five of the team’s 15 goals this season.
Despite the depth and talent the team has proven to have, it’s the teamwork that has made the difference, something Wills has quickly picked up on.
“Everyone knows their teammates are there to support them, both on offense and defense,” Wills explained. “We have great team play.”
Lauren Thomas, who’s currently in her first season as assistant coach, has been just as impressed.
“They are one of the most high caliber teams that I’ve ever seen play the sport of field hockey,” she said. “They have high energy, great moral and poise which has been a factor to their success thus far.”
The winning factor is nothing new to the team. Last season they carried a 17-5 record after going an even more impressive 21-2 the year before. This season is different, though.
“We hope to be undefeated this year, and I expect us to be,” said senior forward Paige Henry. “Last year… we proved we were the best in the Midwest. But this year has a whole new dynamic.”
The success of this season hasn’t come easy. After beginning the year with an easy 7-0 shutout over Hendrix College, the team went into double overtime to beat Rhodes College 1-0 on a goal from Henry. They then proceeded to knock off Christopher Newport University and Centre College at home this past weekend, both teams being the best competition yet for the Tigers, Henry said.
“A few years ago, we would have been scared to play a team like CNU, the fourth ranked team in the country,” Henry explained. “Now we see it as an amazing opportunity to show everyone the talent we have.
They will open NCAC play this weekend on the road against Kenyon College at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday before taking on Dennison University the following day. Starting Saturday, the Tigers will begin a 14-game stretch of teams from their conference, finishing the season at Wittenberg University.
Their matchup with Dennison will be especially crucial, as they were DePauw’s only conference game loss last season as the Tigers went 13-1.
Despite the excitement and energy the team carries with them this season, Wills is still taking it a game at a time.
“We know to get the results we want at the end of the season, we have to practice at our best and improve every day,” she said. “We are looking forward to some great competition in conference play.”
Looking towards an undefeated season might seem premature for a team who has only played four games, but Henry and the Tigers are willing to take the pressure.
“We know that we have a target on our backs,” Henry said, “so everyone understands that we have to bring everything to every game.”