Season Preview: Field Hockey Ready for What's Ahead in 2016

HANOVER, N.H. – Ivy League field hockey is some of the most competitive, skilled and hard fought in all of the NCAA. The 2016 season should be no different for Dartmouth and its seven conference foes.

The Big Green start things off with a two-game road trip on September 3 and 5, opening the season against regional power and perennial NCAA Tournament contender Albany on Saturday before making the trek to Maine for a Labor Day contest.

Head coach Amy Fowler begins her 17th season as Dartmouth's bench boss. Pattie Gillern will be in her fifth season and her first as associate head coach following a promotion this spring and is joined by second-year assistant Maddy Carpenter to round out Fowler's staff.

FORWARDS
The forward line will feature several new faces in 2016. Rookies Jocelyn Wulf and Katie Spanos will join the likes of junior Maggie Sherin and senior Heather Zezzo as the team's true forwards. Additionally fellow freshman Carmen Braceras will jump into the mix as she splits time between the attack and playing in the midfield.

Zezzo is the experienced returning forward with 28 games played to her credit coming into her final season in Hanover. After playing in just one game as a freshman in 2014, Sherin played a larger role last fall as a sophomore, appearing in 11 of the team's 17 games.

Spanos comes to Dartmouth from the well-known Lower Dauphin program in Pennsylvania and is an accomplished forward coming out of high school. She will be looked to for offensive contributions with the graduation of Rebecca Hu and her 13 goals from a season ago. Wulf adds a high level of athleticism as she was a three-sport letterwinner at Sidwell Friends School in Washington D.C.

Fowler Says:
“Returning two key contributors with a couple seasons of experience will help acclimate the rookies who will play an important role on this line. We're excited to see this group develop. They have the ability to have a rejuvenated sense of teamwork, being able to play off each other, as well as all having the ability to create and finish inside our attacking end.”

MIDFIELDERS
The largest group of players on the team comes in the midfield this season, with six vying for time at the position.

The core of the group is a trio of veterans who make up the team's most experienced position. Senior Joanne Nazareth and juniors Anna Ewasechko and Sarah Tabeek provide leadership and stability up the middle as the three have all seen a wealth of playing time since they arrived on campus. Last season, despite being a defensive stalwart, Ewasechko provided additional help in the offensive end with career highs across the board as one of the best in the league at the push out and was honored as the Ivy League Player of the Week late in the season. Tabeek and Nazareth will be the players looked to this year to continue the trend of offensive numbers as both carry the expectations of aiding the Big Green on the scoresheet.

Now sophomore Evie Bird quietly went about becoming one of the Big Green's top reserves in her first season, playing in all but one of the team's 17 games, including all seven Ancient Eight contests. She adds depth and talent to the midfield as another one of the team's better under-the-radar defenders.

Braceras will also see time in the midfield along with classmate Katie Persin. The former is a Concord, Massachusetts, product with a Dartmouth lineage as her grandmother was one of the first woman to graduate the college in 1973 with her father following suit in 1991. A talented ice hockey player, Braceras is an athletic threat and why Fowler can use her at multiple positions. Persin comes to the Upper Valley via Moravian Academy where she was a captain as well as a three-time league champion, bringing not only leadership, but a culture of winning with her.

Fowler Says:
“Having three of four starters return, our midfield will once again look to this line for strength and stability from Jo, Anna and Sarah. Evie Bird had a solid spring and will look to break into the mix, along with some exciting potential in the rookie group.”

DEFENSE
An oddity, the Big Green's defensive unit is the least experienced, but also features this year's captain. Junior Morgan Philie was announced as the team captain back in June and will have the difficult task of anchoring a group that features two sophomores and a pair of freshmen.

Sophomores Amrit Ahluwalia and Jessica Valvano join Philie as the only two returning players from a season ago. However, Valvano played just five games last season, all coming in the midfield, while Ahluwalia appeared in just two games all season.

Maddie Donahue and Persin are the two incoming players that will also compete for playing time in the backfield. Donahue is another Pennsylvania product whose strength is in her consistency, bringing steady play to the field and leaving little doubt in the minds of the coaching staff what she is capable of.

Fowler Says:
“Despite the loss of two veteran backs, the return of Morgan, and additions of Amrit, Jess, Maddie and Katie, the backfield will gain the experience we need very early on. These five defenders have a lot of talent, and a good read of the game. I'm excited to see them step up, given the opportunities are there!”

GOALKEEPERS
Perhaps the most difficult position to play in any sport is goalkeeper because there is just one spot for a team to play their most talented player. That might be the case this season for Dartmouth as Fowler and her staff face the good, but unenviable task of picking between senior Paige Duffy, sophomore Hailey Valerio and freshman Emma Plumb.

Duffy saw the majority of action last season as a junior, staring all 17 games and posting 115 saves in nearly 1,200 minutes of action in the cage. Her ability to direct players in front of her on the field, coupled with her unwavering support of teammates earned Duffy the role as this year's assistant captain. Valerio was eased into her rookie campaign, appearing in just three games during the fall, but was very strong during the Big Green's spring exhibition season and should push for more time as a sophomore.

There are high expectations for Plumb at Dartmouth given her pedigree coming into her collegiate career. A member of the US's Women's National Indoor Field Hockey Team, Plumb will compete for immediate playing time as a first-year player after an outstanding high school career at St. Mark's School in Southborough, Massachusetts, that helped her reach the national team level.

Fowler Says:
“We have three strong keepers and it's exciting for each of them to be pushed and challenged on a daily basis. Paige offers the most game experience as our returning starter, while Hailey and Emma will look to hone their skills set to be in the mix.”

THREE KEYS TO SUCCESS

Preparation + Versatility + Opportunity = SUCCESS
“Our preparation heading into a season with such a small roster is paramount. We've had the majority of our kids return in very good shape, ready to improve their game shape, which is very important, with a total of 15 days to prep before our season opener. The versatility our squad has shown thus far is encouraging, as we are a better team when we have the flexibility to move people around and across lines. It will add to the depth of our team.

We've been upfront with our kids about the opportunities that are there for them. It's now on them to seize those opportunities and gain the much-needed experiences they will all need, with such a young roster. We have six rookies ready to make an impact, while returning a core of six starters from the 2015 roster. Everyone will have the chance to prove themselves, to play under pressure and to improve very quickly. In order for us to have longevity over the season, we will need everyone to embrace all of the opportunities presented to them, so we can be our very best in 2016!

Challenging for an Ivy title is ultimately what we're vying for, and that will take a collective effort in what will be a very competitive year in the Ivies. DFH16 is up to the challenge!”

– Amy Fowler

Schedules