Senior Courtney DeAngelis writes about the outlook for the 2011 Mule field hockey team:

First, I want to welcome all the freshmen who are reading this to the ‘Berg!  And to the upperclassmen, I hope you’re all as happy to be back as I am. I’m pleased to report that the Muhlenberg field hockey team was seemingly unfazed by the earthquake, hurricane and the power outage across campus, and still managed to soldier through preseason.  But, aside from those calamities, things have been running smoothly for us so far.   

Now to be perfectly frank, for those of you who followed us last season, you already know it was a rough one. There are fewer things that are more frustrating than to not perform at your level of play, and this was a recurring issue for us. Nonetheless, I am completely confident that our team will bounce back from last year and experience success. We do NOT want a repeat of last season, and we’re determined to ensure that this does not happen. 

Jaclyn Todisco celebrates after a Mule goal in last week's scrimmage against FDU-Florham.

We’re not going to dwell on the past, or linger on what should have, could have, or would have been; what happened, happened, and all of the upperclassmen just want to move forward. As a senior, I’m especially grateful to have another shot to prove to the conference what we’re really capable of, and we’re hoping to really shock everyone this season.

Another big change this season is our size – with the addition of thirteen freshmen, we’re up to 32 girls! I’ll be perfectly honest and admit that I was initially a bit nervous about having such a large class, and how it would change our team dynamic. They were like a small army coming in the first day, and my biggest concern was how I’d ever remember all of their names. 

Fortunately, spending ten (give or take a few) hours a day together for a week straight provided plenty of opportunities to get to know everyone, and with the help of some good old fashioned name games and team bonding activities, everyone seems to be clicking really well.

So all in all, we’re ready to move on and surprise the conference.  We know we’re competing against some of the top DIII programs in the nation, but we’re ready for the challenge and we’re eager for our first game this upcoming Friday. 

Hope to see you all there at some home games this year!