2007 Season Preview....
KING'S FIELD HOCKEY LOOKING TO DEFEND FREEDOM CONFERENCE TITLE
WILKES-BARRE -- The King's College field hockey
team will have a tough act to follow as it embarks on the 2007 season.
After all, the Lady Monarchs come off the best season in school history
as King's posted a 19-4 record last year while winning the Freedom
Conference championship and qualifying for the NCAA Division III
National Tournament.
Gone via graduation are all-time leading scorer and two-time Freedom
Conference most valuable player Lindsay Sabo, along with fellow team
captains Alicia Barrios and Rianda Steck. The cupboard, however, is
hardly bare.
King's returns plenty of firepower and experienced players who figure to
once again have the Lady Monarchs battling for top honors. Having
reached the conference championship game in three of the past four
seasons, this year's version of King's field hockey possesses the talent
to do the same. In fact, King's was picked to finish in first-place in
the Freedom Conference Pre-Season Coaches Poll.
King's head coach
Cheryl Ish, who
returns for her 14th year at the helm, has reason to be optimistic. The
Lady Monarchs return eight starters, including five 2006 Freedom
Conference all-star selections, and six of the team's top seven scorers
from last season..
Leading the way for King's is senior forward
Debbie Wychock (Wilkes-Barre/Coughlin) who was named the most
valuable player of the 2006 Freedom Conference Tournament. A year ago,
Wychock set school records of 61 points and tied school records with 25
goals and 11 assists en route to earning second-team all-conference
honors. Possessing one of the hardest shots in the nation, Wychock is
especially dangerous on penalty corners.
Also back for King's to join
Wychock up front is senior Sarah McGrady (Plymouth,
PA/Nanticoke Area) who followed up a
37-point sophomore campaign with 34 points on 14 goals and six assists
last season. Another top returnee is senior forward Megan
Farrell (Clarks Summit/Lackawanna Trail), a tough, blue-collar
player who has a knack of capitalizing on opportunities around the net.
Farrell came up big in 2006 with 30 points on 13 goals and four assists.
Looking to make a bigger impact on the offensive end is junior forward
Amanda Schwartztrauber (Vestal,
NY/Vestal) who tallied 18 points on eight
goals and two assists as a reserve last year.
One
player Coach Ish is banking on to make a larger offensive impact is
senior Ave' Moran (Florence, NJ/Holy Cross) who moves from
midfield to forward. Moran, who scored 12 points on four goals and four
assists, stands as one of the most tenacious, hardest working players in
the conference. Sophomore Marissa Lear (Wilkes-Barre/Meyers) adds
additional experience as a transfer from Marywood University.
In the midfield, King's will feature a strong crop of veterans, led by
senior Grace King (Bryn
Athyn, PA/Academy of the New Church) and
junior Christina Glenn (Mountaintop,
PA/Crestwood). King was a first-team
all-conference choice in 2006 while Glenn, another player with a rocket
shot, earned second-team laurels after tallying 17 points on five goals
and seven assists.
Sophomore
Jackie Snover (Great Meadows,
NJ/Hackettstown) also adds depth in the
midfield after seeing quality time as a reserve in 22 of 23 games last
year. Sophomore Ashley Irwin (Douglassville/Daniel Boone) is
another returnee who gained midfield experience last season but could
also see time on defense. Senior Katie McCormick (Collingswood,
NJ/Collingswood) is also looking to battle for time in the midfield.
The
King's defense does have a few question marks with the loss of Barrios
and Steck. Anchoring the defensive unit is senior back Melissa
Gates (Jenkintown,
PA/Jenkintown) who who earned her second
straight all-conference berth in 2006. Sophomore Lindsay O'Brien
(Delran/Holy Cross) saw action in 14 games last year and has hopes
of stepping into one of the vacant spots, as does fellow sophomore
Mandi Peterson (Highland Lakes, NJ/Vernon Township).
The
defense will also benefit from the return of junior goalie Kari
Leach (Milford, PA/Delaware
Valley) who has earned first-team All-Freedom
Conference honors as a freshman and sophomore. Leach started 42 of 43 games in her
career and posted a 1.81 goals against average with 242 saves and seven shutouts.
Battling for the back-up spot in goal are senior Heather Kelly (Hawley,
PA/Wallenpaupack Area) and sophomore
Michelle Ray (Lumberton,
NJ/Rancocas Valley).
A promising crop of newcomers also look to make an impact on the
program.
Offensively, forwards Danielle Terracciano (Columbus,
NJ/Northern Burlington, Candace Russ (Dover, DE/Caesar Rodney),
and Melissa Pirigy (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) are
hopeful of earning playing time.
In the midfield, Alicia Cox (Magnolia, DE/Caesar Rodney) and
Kristy Langella (Sayreville, NJ/Sayreville War Memorial) could
contend for time. Defensively, Elizabeth Krohn (Haddon Heights,
NJ/Camden Catholic), Natalie Crawley (Odenton, MD/Severn School),
and Shelby Trenge (Alburtis/Brandywine Heights), are also
battling for a spot in the rotation. Rookie goalie Melanie Ostrowski
(Albany, NY/Guilderland) is also in contention for the back-up
position.
as
of 8/23/07
