2006 Field Hockey Outlook

08/23/06 1:30PM

- Head coach Peel Hawthorne and her staff welcome the 2006 edition of Tribe field hockey with eager anticipation. While the departing senior class left some holes to fill, Hawthorne is confident her young squad is up to the task. The graduating losses include a pair of All-Americans, the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year in 2004, the CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2005 and a combined 321 starts over the last four years. Despite the losses, the Tribe saw a successful spring coupled with an impressive recruiting class of seven. The Tribe returns six starters and 12 letterwinners from the 2005 squad.

“The returning players are a tight knit group,” Hawthorne said. “They had a very productive and successful spring season, and I was thrilled with their progress. Although we graduated a very experienced senior class, I am eager to see this new group come together and prove itself. While the unknowns may make us a little anxious, the possibilities are exciting. We have the talent, the competitiveness and the team chemistry, now we just need to bring all of that together to form a great field hockey team.”

Goalkeeping
The Tribe returns a pair of goalkeepers that have been in the program for two seasons. Both junior Gwen Hunter and redshirt sophomore Kristen Gillis return for the 2006 season after impressive spring seasons. Hunter was a defensive leader during the spring campaign, while Gillis returned to action after missing most of 2005 rehabilitating from an injury.

“From the fall to the spring, we had to reinvent the wheel in terms of defense. Gwen was very helpful in orchestrating the new lineup in front of her,” Hawthorne said. “She has a year of starting experience under her belt and had to take a leadership role during the spring to get that new defensive unit into place. Gwen is one of the best athletes on the team. Her fitness level, reactions and head for the game are terrific.

“Kristen Gillis, who spent most of last season rehabilitating, started to step it up during spring training,” Hawthorne said. “As she returned to full activity, she became more involved in directing and organizing the defense in front of her. Kristen redshirted her freshman year and was injured her sophomore year, so she is eager to get into games.”

Hunter garnered Second-Team VaSID All-State honors during her sophomore season. She played every minute in net for the Tribe, finishing with a 1.58 goals against average, 108 saves and seven shutouts. Hunter topped the CAA in shutouts, while ranking second in save percentage (.755).

Hawthorne added another goalkeeper in the 2006 class in Carrie Thompson. She guided her high school team to a perfect 24-0 mark and the Virginia state championship in 2005. Thompson garnered honorable-mention all-state honors as she allowed only five goals in 24 games, including 19 shutouts.

Defense
In the defensive backfield, W&M must replace a trio of four-year starters, including 2005 All-American, CAA Defensive Player of the Year and W&M Female Athlete of the Year Anna Davis. The lone starter to return on the back line is senior two-sport standout Jamie Fitzgerald. During her first three years, Fitzgerald has started 32 matches for the Tribe.

“Jamie Fitzgerald is our most experienced returning defender,” Hawthorne said. “She has exceptional speed and is very poised. Jamie will be a key player for us in the backfield.”

Fitzgerald was a starter for the W&M lacrosse team in the spring, leaving the field hockey team without a returning starter on the backline. Senior Julienne Palbusa, junior Laura Kastelic, sophomore Katie Broaddus and redshirt freshman Kaitlin Johnson stepped in to fill the void.

“Starting over in defense will benefit us in the long run as there are now several more players prepared to step into a starting position,” Hawthorne said. “Laura and Julienne are experienced midfielders and defenders who were already seeing playing time in the back. They were leaders from the start of the spring season, and both should be very comfortable with their decision-making. When they play with confidence, they are very difficult to beat.”

Kastellic has played in 35 games over the last two seasons, including 18 starts. She played in every match in 2005, finishing tied for third on the team with four goals and tied for fifth with eight points. Palbusa garnered the teams most impoved player award in 2005, while appearing in nine matches.

Johnson also will be in the mix on the back line in 2006. She redshirted in 2005 after coming to the College from Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, N.Y.

Hawthorne has a wealth of talented newcomers. Freshmen Maura Checchio and Courtney Farino join the Tribe, and will vie for time in the defensive backfield. Both Checchio and Farino are local student-athletes hailing from the Virginia Beach area. Checchio competed in the Futures Program, and is an athletic player with an elite background in gymnastics. Farino led her high school squad to the state championship game during her final three seasons, including a championship in 2004. She earned first-team all-region and all-state honors as a senior in 2005.

Midfield
Senior co-captain Becky Van Zee will likely anchor the W&M midfield. She started the final 10 matches of the 2005 season and played in all 21 games. Van Zee finished her junior campaign with five points on two goals and one assist and over the last two season, has totaled 40 appearances and four goals.

“Becky Van Zee showed great improvement over the second half of the season and into the spring season,” Hawthorne said.

“Becky, Jess Kacerek and Katie Broaddus are all talented midfielders,” Hawthorne said. “Jes will give us some added flexibility as she can also contribute on the forward line. Lauren Giles could also see time at either position.”

Kacerek moved to forward during the spring after starting 17 matches in the middle of the park in 2005. Broaddus appeared in 19 matches in the midfield as a freshman, scoring two goals, including the game-winner in her first collegiate start against Virginia Commonwealth.

The Tribe also will look to a deep freshman class for help in the midfield. Wesley Drew, Farino, Alexis Gerber, Kelsey Jackson and Sarah Louie will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact in the midfield.

“We are counting on our incoming freshmen to be ready to go,” Hawthorne said. “Depending on where the lineup shakes out, we could have any number of freshmen step in at any time given the opportunity.”

Drew brings an impressive prep resume to the Tribe. She was selected as the South Region Player of the Year and a National Field Hockey Coaches Association Second-Team All-American in her senior season. Drew also received first-team all-state, all-region and All-Beach District selection in 2004 and 2005. Gerber was a First-Team All-Central League and All-Main Line selection as a senior. Jackson earned the title “Miss Maine Field Hockey” after leading her team to a perfect 36-0 record and back-to-back state Class B Championships in her final two seasons. She was a three-time all-state selection and finished her high school career with 18 goals and 33 assists. Louie was a two-sport star at Hempfield High School. She participated in the USFHA “Futures” Olympic Development Program in 2004, 2005 and 2006.

Forward
Despite the loss of second-leading scorer and 2004 CAA and VaSID State Player of the Year Kelly Giles, W&M returns a number of players with starting experience at the forward position. Seniors Gina Cimarelli and Maggie Long, along with junior Kim Hedley, return a combination of 10 goals and 38 starts from last season.

“I expect a lot of our attack to be generated off counter attacks,” Hawthorne said. “Learning to shift and move together as a unit throughout the field is going to be a key to our success. We have to be tuned into each others movements whether we have the ball or not. Speed on the front line also will be a critical factor for us.”

Cimarelli led the College in scoring a season ago with 14 points on six goals and two assists. She registered a season-high five points on two goals and an assist in the season opener against Ball State. Cimarelli also tallied goals against ranked foes Northeastern and Old Dominion. Long started 12 matches and finished with two goals, two assists and six points. Hedley played in all 21 matches for the Tribe with a pair of goals.

The Tribe could also receive a boost on the froward line from Kacerek, who worked out at the position during the spring season. She tied for second on the team with 12 points on four goals and four assists during her sophomore campaign. She opened the season with a goal and an assist against Ball State, before recording a two-goal game in the Tribe’s victory over Yale.

Giles is another option for the Tribe at the forward position. She saw action in five games during her rookie campaign after coming to the College with all-state honors out of Jamestown High School in Williamsburg. W&M also can turn to the freshman class with Drew, Jackson and Louie playing forward during their prep careers.

Schedule
The Tribe will play a balanced schedule that includes five teams that finished the season ranked in the top 20 and three other teams that were receiving votes for the top-20 poll. The slate also includes five match-ups with teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Two W&M foes made it to the semifinals and one was the national runner up. The schedule will also be road/neutral site heavy as only seven of the Tribe’s 18 matches will be at the friendly confines of Busch Field.

“The schedule is pretty well balanced,” Hawthorne said. “Our very first weekend is a long road trip, and I am very happy about that. I think that is going to be very helpful in getting to know each other early on.”

The opening weekend of the season will be a Midwestern trip to Ball State and Miami of Ohio on Aug. 25 and 27. The College is a combined 3-0 against the pair of Mid-American Conference teams, including a 4-1 win over Ball State in Williamsburg last season.

“We have another long trip up to Rutgers and Princeton, then we face Richmond and Virginia before getting into our conference. I think the schedule is challenging enough to get us where we need to be. It will have a great mix of opponents that are going to stretch us. It is going to be an away season, but in some ways that is a good thing.”

Three Tribe opponents finished the 2005 season ranked in the top five nationally, including No. 3 Old Dominion, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 North Carolina. ODU was a semifinalist in the NCAA Tournament and Duke capped the year as the national runner up to Maryland. Northeastern (No. 16) and Richmond (No. 19) also finished the year in the top 20, while James Madison, Hofstra and Princeton received votes for the final top-20 poll of the season.