Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Field Hockey to Open Season vs. Georgetown
8/29/2013 11:57:00 AM | Field Hockey
Georgetown Live Stats | Towson Live Stats
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Davidson field hockey team is set to open the 2013 season, traveling to College Park, Md., for a neutral site match up with Georgetown Friday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. The Wildcats will remain in College Park for a tilt with Towson Sunday, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m.
OUTLOOK
It's not every season that a squad loses not one but two NorPac Players of the Year. Rather than depending on individuals as shining stars, the Davidson field hockey team has decided to take on the void as a team and approach 2013 with an "all-in" attitude.
FORWARD
Senior Tyler McFayden will team with sophomores Anna Davis and Lucy Pidcock to form the heart of the Wildcat offense. McFayden has been a speedy, solid contributor who started 18 games at forward with 11 points as a junior in 2013. Davis showed her scoring capabilities early in the season, earning Player of the Week honors in August before adding a pair of goals in the NorPac Tournament.
Like Davis, Pidcock was honored for her scoring prowess, recording a hat trick to earn Rookie of the Week honors in late September. She also added a goal in postseason play. Fellow sophomore Mia Kane also boasts experience, seeing action in seven games last season.
Newcomer Lauren McFayden is set to join sister Tyler on the Wildcat offense after a stellar career at nearby Charlotte Country Day, where she earned both all-conference and all-state honors. The younger McFayden is not the only freshman with a familiar name to the Davidson faithful as Katherine English, sister of former Wildcat Hannah English, is also slated to see time at forward in 2013. The younger English helped lead Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.) to the 2010 and 2012 state championships, earning multiple honors in her career.
In addition, fellow rookies Anne Federico and Becca Jones will be a part of the Wildcat offense. A forward/midfielder out of Towson, Md., Federico was a three-time all-conference honoree and earned all-state honors in 2012. Jones, who was a teammate of McFayden on the Charlotte Ambush club team, won a pair of CISAA Championships and an NCISAA State Championship as a forward/midfielder at Charlotte Latin.
MIDFIELD
Senior Brooke Osborne and sophomore Melissa Funsten headline a deep and talented Wildcat midfield in 2013. Osborne showed skills on both end of the field last season, tying for the team lead with three defensive saves while also notching a trio of goals.
In just her freshman season Funsten quickly became a household name, finishing second on the team with six assists and third with four goals. Her most notable scoring opportunity came as she converted the final penalty stroke to give the Wildcats the 3-2 shootout win over Longwood, earning her NorPac Rookie of the Week honors.
Julia Guthrie, Sara French and Kaity Anstrom all enter their junior years with significant playing time under their belts. Guthrie split penalty corners with former Wildcat Annie Evans last season, with 56 insertions on the year. Sophomore Danielle King also played a significant role in the team's 137 penalty corners, recording an assist and four shots on the season.
Sydney Schreiner will provide depth as well at the midfield. A rising senior, Schreiner saw action in all but four games last season, recording a big defensive save in the NorPac Tournament. Rising sophomore Becky Johnson will also contribute in the midfield after seeing time as a freshman.
DEFENSE
The departure of Maddie Parrish at defense leaves the Wildcats with just one true defender on the roster in junior Madeline Herder. Parrish and Herder worked to become quite the defensive pairing last season, helping the Wildcats to rank fourth in the NorPac in goals allowed. However, defensive-minded members of the midfield will help.
GOALKEEPING
The graduation of goalkeeper Sarah Fisher, the 2012 NorPac East Defensive Player of the Year, has left a void that will be filled by a slew of talented but inexperienced keepers. Senior Carolyn Macek spent the past few seasons as Fisher's understudy and is one candidate to fulfill the leading role. Macek saw action in a pair of games last season, combing with Fisher to earn shutouts in both.
Rising sophomore Emily Leytham will also compete to see time in net after impressing with a great preseason effort. The development of both Macek and Leytham, along with fellow keeper Connie Cape, will be bolstered by the presence of new assistant coach Kaitlyn Ruhf, who is fresh off of a career as Wake Forest's starting keeper. Ruhf not only appears on the Demon Deacons' all-time saves list, but boasts NCAA experience as well.
SCHEDULE
Though limited at home, the Wildcats' schedule includes a mix of tough ACC opponents, conference match ups and a glimpse into the future with a pair of Atlantic 10 foes.
The 'Cats open up with Georgetown for the second straight season, this time facing the Hoyas in College Park, Md., Aug. 31. They will remain in Maryland to take on Towson (Sept. 1) before returning to Belk Turf field for the first of just six home games when they host Vermont (Sept. 6).
Davidson will travel to perennial contenders Wake Forest (Sept. 10) and North Carolina (Oct. 20) this season, and will also hit the road to square off again Richmond (Sept. 14) and VCU (Sept. 29) in their last meetings as nonconference opponents.
The Wildcats will continue with their traditional rivalry vs. Coach Ginny Turner's alma mater, William & Mary, in Virginia Sept. 22 and will add a neutral site game against Siena soon after (Sept. 28). The squad also plays hosts to James Madison Oct. 18.
In addition to the nonconference schedule, the Wildcats will face NorPac foes Appalachian State, Liberty, Radford and Longwood in home-and-home series throughout the year. The season will conclude with the 2013 NorPac Tournament in Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 6-9.
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The Davidson field hockey team is set to open the 2013 season, traveling to College Park, Md., for a neutral site match up with Georgetown Friday, Aug. 30 at 1 p.m. The Wildcats will remain in College Park for a tilt with Towson Sunday, Sept. 1 at 10 a.m.
OUTLOOK
It's not every season that a squad loses not one but two NorPac Players of the Year. Rather than depending on individuals as shining stars, the Davidson field hockey team has decided to take on the void as a team and approach 2013 with an "all-in" attitude.
FORWARD
Senior Tyler McFayden will team with sophomores Anna Davis and Lucy Pidcock to form the heart of the Wildcat offense. McFayden has been a speedy, solid contributor who started 18 games at forward with 11 points as a junior in 2013. Davis showed her scoring capabilities early in the season, earning Player of the Week honors in August before adding a pair of goals in the NorPac Tournament.
Like Davis, Pidcock was honored for her scoring prowess, recording a hat trick to earn Rookie of the Week honors in late September. She also added a goal in postseason play. Fellow sophomore Mia Kane also boasts experience, seeing action in seven games last season.
Newcomer Lauren McFayden is set to join sister Tyler on the Wildcat offense after a stellar career at nearby Charlotte Country Day, where she earned both all-conference and all-state honors. The younger McFayden is not the only freshman with a familiar name to the Davidson faithful as Katherine English, sister of former Wildcat Hannah English, is also slated to see time at forward in 2013. The younger English helped lead Sacred Heart Academy (Ky.) to the 2010 and 2012 state championships, earning multiple honors in her career.
In addition, fellow rookies Anne Federico and Becca Jones will be a part of the Wildcat offense. A forward/midfielder out of Towson, Md., Federico was a three-time all-conference honoree and earned all-state honors in 2012. Jones, who was a teammate of McFayden on the Charlotte Ambush club team, won a pair of CISAA Championships and an NCISAA State Championship as a forward/midfielder at Charlotte Latin.
MIDFIELD
Senior Brooke Osborne and sophomore Melissa Funsten headline a deep and talented Wildcat midfield in 2013. Osborne showed skills on both end of the field last season, tying for the team lead with three defensive saves while also notching a trio of goals.
In just her freshman season Funsten quickly became a household name, finishing second on the team with six assists and third with four goals. Her most notable scoring opportunity came as she converted the final penalty stroke to give the Wildcats the 3-2 shootout win over Longwood, earning her NorPac Rookie of the Week honors.
Julia Guthrie, Sara French and Kaity Anstrom all enter their junior years with significant playing time under their belts. Guthrie split penalty corners with former Wildcat Annie Evans last season, with 56 insertions on the year. Sophomore Danielle King also played a significant role in the team's 137 penalty corners, recording an assist and four shots on the season.
Sydney Schreiner will provide depth as well at the midfield. A rising senior, Schreiner saw action in all but four games last season, recording a big defensive save in the NorPac Tournament. Rising sophomore Becky Johnson will also contribute in the midfield after seeing time as a freshman.
DEFENSE
The departure of Maddie Parrish at defense leaves the Wildcats with just one true defender on the roster in junior Madeline Herder. Parrish and Herder worked to become quite the defensive pairing last season, helping the Wildcats to rank fourth in the NorPac in goals allowed. However, defensive-minded members of the midfield will help.
GOALKEEPING
The graduation of goalkeeper Sarah Fisher, the 2012 NorPac East Defensive Player of the Year, has left a void that will be filled by a slew of talented but inexperienced keepers. Senior Carolyn Macek spent the past few seasons as Fisher's understudy and is one candidate to fulfill the leading role. Macek saw action in a pair of games last season, combing with Fisher to earn shutouts in both.
Rising sophomore Emily Leytham will also compete to see time in net after impressing with a great preseason effort. The development of both Macek and Leytham, along with fellow keeper Connie Cape, will be bolstered by the presence of new assistant coach Kaitlyn Ruhf, who is fresh off of a career as Wake Forest's starting keeper. Ruhf not only appears on the Demon Deacons' all-time saves list, but boasts NCAA experience as well.
SCHEDULE
Though limited at home, the Wildcats' schedule includes a mix of tough ACC opponents, conference match ups and a glimpse into the future with a pair of Atlantic 10 foes.
The 'Cats open up with Georgetown for the second straight season, this time facing the Hoyas in College Park, Md., Aug. 31. They will remain in Maryland to take on Towson (Sept. 1) before returning to Belk Turf field for the first of just six home games when they host Vermont (Sept. 6).
Davidson will travel to perennial contenders Wake Forest (Sept. 10) and North Carolina (Oct. 20) this season, and will also hit the road to square off again Richmond (Sept. 14) and VCU (Sept. 29) in their last meetings as nonconference opponents.
The Wildcats will continue with their traditional rivalry vs. Coach Ginny Turner's alma mater, William & Mary, in Virginia Sept. 22 and will add a neutral site game against Siena soon after (Sept. 28). The squad also plays hosts to James Madison Oct. 18.
In addition to the nonconference schedule, the Wildcats will face NorPac foes Appalachian State, Liberty, Radford and Longwood in home-and-home series throughout the year. The season will conclude with the 2013 NorPac Tournament in Lynchburg, Va., Nov. 6-9.
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