Aug. 23, 2007
Watch All-Access season preview with Coach Kelly McCollum.
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Since last November, the Northwestern field hockey has been anxiously awaiting a chance to get back on the field and start a new season. On Saturday, the team finally gets its wish.
This weekend, the Wildcats take on Central Michigan and then prepare for a showdown Monday against the No. 1 team in the nation, the Maryland Terrapins.
Northwestern returns a group of six seniors to the field and has brought in seven freshmen, who are seeking to gain some game experience for the years to come.
Defensively, the 'Cats bring back their eighth all-time saves leader, Emily Kyle (San Francisco, Calif./San Francisco University HS) in goal. Kyle played in all but one game in the 2006 season, racking up 123 saves on the year and was the Big Ten regular-season saves leader. In the backfield, a wealth of experience, led by seniors Christina Foley (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth), Amanda Care (Newtown, Pa./Pennsbury), Katie Charles (Worthington, Ohio/Thomas Worthington) and Jenny Stancati (Toledo, Ohio/Ottawa Hills) are among those helping to protect Kyle and the net this year.
"We've been together four years now and Foley's joined us as a senior so most of us have gained experience and are confident and an able group," Care said. "I'm pretty confident in the backfield. We all have great experience and play well as a unit, so we're looking forward to a great year."
Aiming at the back of the opponents' net this year are a litany of juniors excited for a chance to light up the new scoreboard. Returning to the field are Alex Quinn (Watertown, Mass./Watertown), Jill Putnam (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) and Annie Bosslet (Granite City, Ill./Villa Duchesne (Mo.)), who were three of the top four in points last year for the 'Cats, as well as fellow junior Alison Bullock (Boyds, Md./Stone Ridge).
"The majority of the offense is upper classmen and we have a lot of expectations on ourselves as a team because we've been together for so many years," Quinn said. "Now that we've all been playing together for so long, everything's starting to click and I think it's going to be a good year for us."
Central Michigan upended the 'Cats last year, 3-2. The Chippewas finished the season 11-10 overall. A contest with the top-ranked team in the nation looms on Monday against Maryland, which beat the 'Cats in College Park, Md., 7-2, last season. All-time against CMU and Maryland, the Wildcats are 7-3 and 5-9, respectively.
Looking forward, the 'Cats begin the year with four straight home games before their first road trip of the year to Maine. The Big Ten schedule starts Sep. 22 at Michigan State.
Over the past few years, coach Kelly McCollum and NU have taken on the philosophy of playing the best teams in the nation to improve its own game, which McCollum believes is working as the 'Cats have begun to chip away at the top teams in the nation. The philosophy has rubbed off on the team as well, which has an extremely confident outlook on the 2007 campaign.
"I know that we can do some damage during the season and the Big Ten Tournament," Foley said.