2007 Outlook
2007 Rider University Field Hockey Outlook
Young and hungry. With the loss of 10 letterwinners from the 2006 squad, the Broncs enter this season with six new faces and for the first time under head coach Lori Hussong, without a championship banner to hang at the field.
The field hockey team won Northeast Conference regular season titles in 2001, 2003 and 2005, and the Broncs won the NEC Tournament Championship in 2000, 2002 and 2004, advancing to the NCAA play-in game. Although the Broncs advanced to the NEC playoffs for the seventh straight season, they didn’t bring home the championship, losing to eventual champion Lock Haven 2-1 in the semi-finals.
“We are definitely using the fact that last year we didn’t win either the regular season or conference title as a motivational tool,” said Lori Hussong who is entering year number eight at Rider. “Even though we had a winning record, it wasn’t the season we had hoped for and we want to get back to our championship form.”
Leading the 12 returnees are All-NEC honorees senior Stephanie Walker and junior Tricia Crotty.
The offensive production will be led by Walker who is a three-time All-NEC honoree and enters the season ninth on the all-time scoring list at Rider. “Stephanie gave us all she could while injured last season,” said Lori Hussong. “We are hoping to keep her healthy all season. No one is capable of making things happen like Walker. She is a skilled player and the ultimate competitor. Having the luxury of having her on the field is like having another coach. She is a humble leader, genuine and team oriented. Our younger players look to her for guidance on the field. She makes the players around her look better.” A healthy Walker won’t allow the opposition to focus on just one player and gives the Broncs a chance to open up the offense that was held to 44 goals last season after scoring 52 times in 2005 and 62 goals in 2004.
Crotty, a First Team All-NEC honoree last season, was the conference rookie of the year in 2005 and led the 2006 squad in goals, assists and points. “Tricia is the kind of player who could contribute to almost any program in the country,” said Lori Hussong. “Her speed and athleticism coupled with her work ethic has turned her into one of the NEC’s premiere athletes. She has experience on her side and is one of our more gifted players. She will be tough to stop down the field. She spent the summer honing her skills and it’s going to be fun watching the opposing defense try to keep up with her.” Crotty enters the season 15th on the all-time scoring list at Rider.
Other seniors include Emily Egan and Jennifer LoCastro.
Egan, a Northeast Conference (NEC) Scholar-Athlete appeared in 11 games, starting nine before her junior year ended with a lower leg stress fracture. After finally recovering in time for the spring season Egan’s season again was cut short when she tore her ACL. “Emily is working hard to rehabilitate her knee,” said Lori Hussong. “We hope to have her back by mid-season. She is an outstanding leader both on and off the field. Even though she is not able to physically be out on the field at this time, her presence is a necessary ingredient to our success. She gets the team to fight hard and her teammates can look and admire her passion and desire to get back into the mix.”
LoCastro enters the season as the number one goalie. “Jen had a great spring season,” said Bronc assistant Dan Hussong who works with the Rider goalies. “She has embraced that challenge and is looking really sharp. Her hard work during the off season is certainly paying off. The more game experience she gets, the more confident she becomes. This is her first season as the full-time goalie but she brings a veteran leadership with her. She has been a big part of our success the last three years, is very vocal and has gained the respect of her teammates.” LoCastro has appeared in 17 games and enters the season with a career goals against average of 0.34.
The balance of the junior class includes Diana Celebre, Mandy Hunter, Caitlin Mebs, Sarah Richards and Julie Vaccarelli.
“Celebre is coming off a great spring season where she gained the confidence necessary to compete at this level” said Lori Hussong. “She worked hard over the spring and summer and came in prepared and more confident in her skills and ability.” Celebre, a veteran of 31 games is an Elementary Education and Psychology major.
Hunter is a 24 game veteran and assisted on the only goal that Rider tallied against Lock Haven in the conference semi-final last season. “Hunter is working hard and has a great attitude,” said Lori Hussong. “She is a team oriented player, her desire to improve and her aggressive hustling style of play has moved her ahead.”
Mebs, a 27 game veteran, made three starts as a sophomore and appeared in the NEC title game as a rookie. “Caitlin is very capable skill wise of being a contributing member of our team” said Lori Hussong. “If she can maintain the intensity level that we know she is capable of playing with, she should be a major contributor on our defense.”
Richards, a Biopsychology major, has appeared in 25 games in her career. “Richards is confident, intense and hard working,” Lori Hussong said. “She is playing her best field hockey since she came to Rider and gives a second effort every time out. She is constantly improving.”
Vaccarelli, a conference scholar-athlete honoree, has started 10 games in each of her first two seasons appearing in 33 games overall. “Vaccarelli will be the back bone of our defense,” said Lori Hussong. “Our goal is to keep her healthy. We will be very young defensively and we will rely on her to lead our defense in the right direction. Julie will be the key to leading that effort.” Vaccarelli led the Broncs with three defensive saves in 2006.
The sophomore class includes Brittany Baxter, Lyndsie Johnson and Erin McGinniss.
Baxter, a Biology major appeared in three games as a rookie. “Baxter has come a long way,” Lori Hussong said. “She has improved, is in better shape and her skills are starting to show. She is very coachable and is working hard.”
Johnson appeared in one game with a goals against average of 0.00 as a rookie. “Johnson enters the season as the backup goalie,” said Dan Hussong. “She will learn from ‘JLo’ (Jennifer LoCastro) on how to become a starter. She is college ready now and is always learning. We will need her to work hard everyday, do the little extra things to make herself better and be ready at all times.”
McGinniss appeared in every game for the Broncs as a rookie with two assists. “McGinniss is coming off a great rookie season in which she saw a lot of playing time,” said Lori Hussong. “She continues to improve. The more she plays, the better she gets and no one out works her on the field. With that work ethic and attitude, Erin’s future is bright.”
The six rookies on the 2007 roster include Amanda Barretta, Margaret Ecke, Michaela Franey, Kristy Kelly, Lindsay Rajeski and Allison Vogel.
“We are very happy with this freshman class.” Lori Hussong said. “They all work hard and have the common goal of making the team more successful. They are very team oriented and respectful of their older teammates and coaches. Their biggest adjustment will be the speed of the game. All seven freshmen have the ability to step on the field and contribute right away. Dan did an excellent job in recruiting what we feel could be Rider’s best class yet. He was successful in bringing in players from several perennial winning high school programs and because of that, our freshman have come in well coached, prepared and with positive winning attitudes. That has enabled us to move at a faster learning pace.”
Barretta had 46 goals and 47 assists in her career at West Essex High, winning the state Group II championship as a senior. “Amanda has already played her way into the mix and we look for her to give us an offensive spark,” said Lori Hussong. “Her style from high school is similar to our style which has helped her blend in already. She is explosive, fast and gets to the ball and puts it into the cage.”
Ecke comes out of New Egypt High where she helped the Warriors win the state Group I title as a junior. “Margaret is a ball dribbling wizard out there,” Lori Hussong said. “She is a versatile player with tremendous potential. As her communication skills improve she will become a more complete player.”
Franey, out of York High in Maine, led her high school to three straight runner-up finishes in the state finals and was named one of four finalists for the Miss Maine award given to the top field hockey player in Maine. “Franey is an outstanding player,” Lori Hussong said. “She has great stick skills and game awareness. Her field vision and her ability to distribute the ball coupled will her scoring ability makes her a potent offensive threat. She is bright, enthusiastic and always willing to learn. She fits in so well with what we have established here at Rider.”
Kelly was a four-year starter at Freedom High in Bethlehem, Pa., scoring 37 goals with 32 assists. “Kristy is a hard nosed, hard working athlete who never quits,” Lori Hussong said. “She has the heart of a champion and her intensity and second effort are what make her so productive on the field.”
Rajeski, a First Team All-State honoree out of New Egypt High, helped lead the Warriors to the Group I state title as a junior. “Rajeski comes from a great high school program,” said Lori Hussong. “She is a tough competitor. We are looking for her to play strong defense for us this year. The more she cuts loose and plays the better she will become.”
Vogel comes to Rider from state powerhouse Shore Regional High School which graduated current junior defensive standout Julie Vaccarelli. “Vogel is a fantastic ball handler,” Lori Hussong said. “Having come from a great high school program she knows what it takes to be a champion. She is deceptively quick and very hungry.” As a senior Vogel scored 26 goals and had 14 assists earning her Shore Conference Player of the Year honors.
The Broncs open the 2007 schedule at home against West Chester on August 29 with 10 of the next 11 games on the road. “Because we have a grass field, we are finding it more and more difficult to schedule home games,” said Dan Hussong. “Unless it is a conference mandated home game, we are pretty much on the road for much of the season.” With the conference playoffs hosted by the highest seed team in the NEC, Rider looks to use the grass field as an advantage come playoff time. “It’s definitely an advantage having one of the only grass fields in the country,” Dan Hussong added. “It will be a playing surface that we will be used to and the other teams won’t be and that makes the conference games that much more important so we can be in a position to host the championship and gain that ‘home field’ advantage.”
The non-conference schedule includes Colgate, New Hampshire, Appalachian State, Longwood, Lehigh, Lafayette, Temple and former NEC rival Fairfield. “The schedule was made to help prepare us for the Northeast Conference,” said Lori Hussong. “We knew that we would be young and with the loss of seven starters, we wanted to build a challenging schedule that would allow the players to grow together quickly and get us ready for the rigors of conference play. We scheduled the New England games because we have three players from that area and we wanted to give their families a chance to see them play a little closer to home and it also helps expand the area in which we recruit. By playing in a certain area, it gets the Rider University name out there and helps us get players from outside the Mid-Atlantic region. Having outstanding players not only from our local area (New Jersey and Pennsylvania), but from Maine and New Hampshire really helps bring Rider to a regional and then a national level.”
If things go according to plan, Rider will be making reservations for an eighth straight conference playoff appearance. “I think the conference is going to be wide open.” said Hussong. “With so many coaching changes in the league, this year should be interesting as those changes bring the unknown element to our conference games. We will be young and inexperienced and realize it may take a while for us to jell but if every player continues to work hard and makes the commitment to strive for excellence we will make steady progress through out the season and hopefully be in a position to vie for the conference title.”
“No one on the schedule (non-conference and conference) is easy,” said Hussong. “We preach giving our best effort and the winning takes care of itself. You play how you practice. If you practice at a high level, that shows up in the game and late in games that effort is what wins you the 50-50 battles. Our players know the importance of team chemistry and total team camaraderie. They all root for each others successes and are there to pick each other up when someone is down. Each player fulfills their role on the team with pride. We have three outstanding senior captains to provide strong leadership to our young team. It will be rewarding and fun watching this team come together and get it done.”
Speaking of getting it done, as successful as the program has been on the field, the team has been just as successful in the classroom where the field hockey team had the highest Spring 2007 semester g.p.a. (3.33) of Rider’s 20 varsity programs. This marks the third time in the last seven semesters that the team has received this honor. “Our goal has always been to be among the top teams academically at Rider, in the conference and in the nation,” said Lori Hussong. “All of our players are encouraged to give their best effort in every aspect of their college experience. We are proud of not only our accomplishments on the field but also our accomplishments in the classroom.”
“Being healthy is the key for the 2007 season,” Lori Hussong added. “Being so banged up at the end of the year was our downfall. This year, we feel that all 18 players in the program can play at this level and if someone does get hurt, we can plug in another player and not lose a step. We are more versatile and have more depth. The level of play will stay the same no matter who is in the game. Everyone is hungry and working to get us back to the championship form of our first six seasons.”
Reloading with young, hungry and intense student-athletes who are looking to improve with each practice and each game looks to be the recipe for another successful Rider Field Hockey season.
