The Saint Anselm field hockey team started their 2023 season with a bang following two, important victories against No. 2 Shippensburg and No. 3 Westchester. The team entered No. 7 in Division 2 and saw many hawks win NE10 weekly accolades.
These important wins and accolades seemed to boost the teams confidence as the high-flying hawks only seem to soar higher as they currently sit at 10-3,(6-2) which is obviously very good.
“One of our goals this season is to have consistent success on the road” says junior Ava Rayfield, “We have proven that we often play well at home, but we still have a lot of work to do to be able to carry the same level of play over to road games”.
The team has also been on the losing end of two upsets by Franklin Pierce and SNHU. Another goal the team has is to be able to participate in the final four, as Saint Anselm hosts the semis and the national championship. “At the same time, we’re still a young team and are working through some kinks”, says Rayfield, “we’re a talented team top to bottom and as long as we continue working hard in practice and focusing on playing our style, consistently we will be fine”.
Many players won many awards and received accolades for their brilliant skill on the field over the past few weeks, Maddie Davis was named NE10 player of the week and NFHCA offensive player of the week for her excellent and brilliant play.
While junior Grace Michael was named NE10 defensive player of the week for the second time this season. During a brief interview with Stephanie Sutton-Brown, I asked her what the emotions and chemistry is like for the team.
She explained that the team’s confidence levels are always high and when you play field hockey you have to find a way to make it fun. “We are very close as a team”, she said, “our coach says every game is a chance to get better and to never settle”.
She also explained how well the team gets along and how close she has gotten with her teammates. ‘They’re my best friends, ‘ she says.
During a 4-0 shutout win over Saint Michaels with 164 in attendance on October 11th, Amanda Lewandowski had 3 goals with 2 assists from Maddie Davis. Amanda also netted her first hat trick of her career against the Knights.
This is the kind of play that the team has been using to reach their impressive record. The team has a cast of very talented and experienced players who always put in 100% every game.
The hawks also had 2 important games coming up. On 14 October, the team honored its senior players, Maddie Davis, Abbey Bevens, Livi Manchester, Liv Strange, and Mackenzie McConnell for their 4 years of commitment and excellent play on the field with a 4-1 win over New Haven.
The other important game (also their final home game) is the “Morgan’s Message” game on 24 October where the team will focus on mental health in sports and honor Morgan Rodgers, a Duke Lacrosse player who sadly committed suicide in 2019 because of her struggling mental health.
“As an athlete, there is no shame in seeking physical healthcare” As the leaves on campus begin to change to red and orange, the navy and white hawks continue to forge ahead and with only a few games left in the season, the highly confident and young hawks hope to make a strong push towards the playoffs and hopefully earn a spot in the final four on their home turf.
