2008 Woodie Awards
Field hockey reflects on year
Eddie Kealy
Issue date: 11/13/07 Section: Sports
Winning is contagious. When Delaware's field hockey team played well and won consistently, each player became intoxicated with confidence. Unfortunately, losing works in a similar way. Just one loss can kill a feeling of invincibility and cause a team to spiral out of control.
The field hockey team experienced the rollercoaster ride of emotions in its disappointing 2007 season.
Delaware could not rebound after experiencing its first loss, which came eight games into the season, as the Hens got off to a 7-0 start. After going undefeated, Delaware limped to a 10-9 finish, going 3-9 down the stretch.
The Hens suffered their first loss of the season Sept. 16 at the hands of Saint Joseph's by the score of 2-1. Senior captain Amanda Warrington said that loss proved the turning point for Delaware.
"I don't think we were ready to handle it," Warrington said. "It was kind of a disappointment because we definitely didn't play to our ability that game and we lost to a team that we should've beaten. After that, it seemed like we couldn't put it all together."
Head coach Carol Miller said the Hens had an emotional season starting off looking like they could capture a Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
"We went through so many emotions having started off the best since the 2004 season, with the 7-0 record," Miller said.
Miller said it is also important to note that the Hens did not face a conference opponent during their 7-0 start.
"Toward the middle of the season, we started our conference play and it tends to be much more competitive," she said. "We forget about that and we needed to turn things up a little bit."
Miller said the coaches tried to schedule challenging opponents, but some of the schools Delaware faced had down years, making it difficult to evaluate how good they actually were in the season.
"We fought hard and we dealt with some adversity and I'm a coach that believes that your true character comes out when you're dealing with adversity," she said. "We had some difficulties in communicating."
The field hockey team experienced the rollercoaster ride of emotions in its disappointing 2007 season.
Delaware could not rebound after experiencing its first loss, which came eight games into the season, as the Hens got off to a 7-0 start. After going undefeated, Delaware limped to a 10-9 finish, going 3-9 down the stretch.
The Hens suffered their first loss of the season Sept. 16 at the hands of Saint Joseph's by the score of 2-1. Senior captain Amanda Warrington said that loss proved the turning point for Delaware.
"I don't think we were ready to handle it," Warrington said. "It was kind of a disappointment because we definitely didn't play to our ability that game and we lost to a team that we should've beaten. After that, it seemed like we couldn't put it all together."
Head coach Carol Miller said the Hens had an emotional season starting off looking like they could capture a Colonial Athletic Association Championship.
"We went through so many emotions having started off the best since the 2004 season, with the 7-0 record," Miller said.
Miller said it is also important to note that the Hens did not face a conference opponent during their 7-0 start.
"Toward the middle of the season, we started our conference play and it tends to be much more competitive," she said. "We forget about that and we needed to turn things up a little bit."
Miller said the coaches tried to schedule challenging opponents, but some of the schools Delaware faced had down years, making it difficult to evaluate how good they actually were in the season.
"We fought hard and we dealt with some adversity and I'm a coach that believes that your true character comes out when you're dealing with adversity," she said. "We had some difficulties in communicating."
Be the first to comment on this story