Tribe Receives Votes in Preseason Poll

The College will open the season at home against Lock Haven on Aug. 25.

08/21/07 2:00PM

Williamsburg - The William and Mary field hockey team was listed among the also receiving votes category of the 2007 STX/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Preseason Poll released on Aug. 21. The Tribe was one of six CAA schools to be ranked or receiving votes and received 33 votes in the initial poll of the season.

The College will face a tough schedule in 2007, which includes 12 teams that are ranked or receiving votes. W&M will get things start out quickly against defending Northeast Conference Champion and NCAA Play-in Game participant Lock Haven on Saturday, Aug. 25. The Lady Eagles are one of the Tribe’s six opponents listed among the also receiving votes category.

According to the preseason rankings, W&M will battle six of the top 11 teams in the country. The Tribe has contests slated against No. 3 North Carolina (Oct. 12), No. 4 Duke (Sept. 1), No. 6 Old Dominion (Oct. 28), No. 8 Virginia (Sept. 14), No. 10 Iowa (Sept. 3) and No. 11 James Madison (Oct. 21). The College will also battle Northeastern (Sept. 21), Richmond (Oct. 25), Hofstra (Oct. 7), Delaware (Sept. 28) and Miami (Ohio) (Sept. 8). Those six teams are listed in the also receiving votes category.

W&M returns six starters and 11 letterwinners from last season’s 10-9 team. The Tribe will be led by the senior quartet of Kim Hedley, Gwen Hunter, Jes Kacerek and Laura Kastelic. All four are returning starters from a season ago. Hedley was a Second-Team All-CAA choice last season after leading the Tribe with nine goals. Hunter ranks among the Tribe’s all-time leaders in saves, goals against average and shutouts. Kacerek is the Tribe’s playmaker in the midfield, and Kastelic anchors the Tribe’s backline.

W&M opens the 2007 regular season at home when it hosts Lock Haven and Fairfield on Aug. 25-26. The Tribe will battle Lock Haven at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25, before hosting Fairfield at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 26. Both matches will be played at Busch Field. Lock Haven was picked to win the Northeast Conference by the league’s coaches. The Lady Eagles have won four straight regular season NEC titles.