“With a higher level of competition comes better play and better recruits.” Those are the words of Coach Jackie Kane describing this year’s challenging schedule for the Fairfield University field hockey team.
Four years ago the Stags made the jump from the Northeast Conference to the America East Conference — a conference that is home to four of the top 30 teams in the country: Boston University, Albany, Maine and New Hampshire. Coupled with these four dominant programs on the schedule are four more teams that received votes in the most recent NFHCA Division 1 Poll: Hofstra, California, Temple and Dartmouth.
A schedule of such ardor is fit for the English Hockey League Premier Division, the world’s highest level of play.
Fairfield is quite fortunate to have help from Joey Civico, a former EHL player. Civico came to Fairfield four years ago as an assistant coach, and has returned for a second stint at the Southern Connecticut campus, looking to enter the collegiate coaching circuit.
Coach Kane has noticed an immediate impact with Civico’s presence, “He’s provided a spark for the girls, a lot of times it helps to have him say things to the girls instead of them constantly hearing it from myself. He’s provided extra motivation, which combined with the seniors’ goals, has us ready for a big season.”
Civico is just the latest team member to bring an international flare to the Fairfield program. Anne Nieuwenhuis ’11, along with Marit Westenberg ’12, and Nikki McLucas ’11 have brought an added bonus.
Nieuwenhuis pointed out, “The game is the same for the most part, but there are some slight things that are different.” It might just be those slight differences that give Fairfield an extra edge whether in practice or in competition.
Kane’s squad is off to a start this year unlike anything the program has seen in nearly a decade.
Since 2003 the Stags have won more than 6 games just once, but after a four game winning streak last week with wins against Missouri State, Sacred Heart, Lehigh and Siena, they are in prime position to take the team to a level the program hasn’t been to in quite awhile.
Bolstering this year’s team is freshman center-mid, Shea Testa. During Fairfield’s four game winning streak Testa played an integral part in the teams’ success, garnering her the America East rookie of the week award.
Testa acknowledges “The game is faster [than high school], and that communication is much more important, but that the upperclassmen, especially Anne [Nieuwenhuis] have helped make the transition easy.”
Nieuwenhuis is involved with Testa more than anyone else on the field, being the team center-back. Nieuwenhuis has enjoyed the team’s newest addition, adding, “Our communication is key for the team’s success, but Shea is a very mature freshman. I haven’t felt like I was playing with a rookie this season at all.”
Testa is the team’s only freshman in the starting line-up this year, so her ability to mesh with the rest of the team has been an essential part of the team’s improvement.
Coach Kane’s recruitment of Testa and the other “rookies”, as she likes to refer to the first-timers, has been constructive to the team’s growth.
In a competitive conference, it is important that the recruits are able to play at such a high level. Kane added “Shea, Christy, and the others came in ready to play. Fortunately for us, the rookies aren’t ‘drill wreckers,’ which is often a stage we have to deal with when bringing new members to the team.”
During the four game streak, Fairfield knocked off cross town rival, Sacred Heart, a game that the Stags had circled on their calendars at the season’s onset.
Winning 4-1 made the victory much sweeter. Goalie Maddy Sposito thought that, “Sacred Heart matched our intensity well at the beginning of the game, but we just wanted it that much more. We dominated.”
Sposito’s four saves propelled the Stags to victory, along with two goals from the senior leader, Nieuwenhuis.
With achievement comes the responsibility to set new goals. The next step for the Stags is to make the 4-team America East Conference Tournament.
Fairfield hasn’t made their conference tournament since 2001 – something Coach Kane and her seniors would like to see change.
“If we’re able to win two of our conferences games, we should qualify,” remarked Coach Kane in reference to the conference tournament. “The seniors came in the year we joined America East, and it has been a shared goal to make it to the tournament since.”
During the past week’s hot streak the Stags showed they could both come back from an early deficit as well as grabbing an early lead and holding on for the win.
Nieuwenhuis stated “It’s a test of the team’s character to come back when you get down, which we did [against Missouri State and Lehigh], but it can be just as challenging to hold onto an early lead [against Sacred Heart and Siena]. Joey [Civico] was yelling at us ‘Treat it like it’s nil-nil!’ late in the game against Sacred Heart. It’s important to keep the intensity up.”
Coach Kane and her team begin America East play October 2 at home against Boston University at 2 p.m.
Come out and support the school’s fastest improving squad as they go after their ticket to the conference tournament. Last week’s success was only the beginning to what is surely going to be a breakout season.
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