A New Tide Has Turned
The Swarthmore field hockey program begins a new phase in 2008, welcoming a new head coach to lead a storied Garnet program back into the Conference playoffs.
The Garnet has been projected to finish seventh in the Conference for the second year in a row according to the annual coaches' pre-season poll.
The Garnet will be directed by newcomer Lauren Fuchs, the 14th head coach of the Swarthmore field hockey program. Fuchs, who replaces Kelly Wilcox '97, comes to the Garnet after stints at University of Maryland-Baltimore, Temple University (she was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year in 1994) and the University of New Hampshire.
??The team has a great work ethic and has improved since the end of last season,?? said Fuchs. ??A key factor to the team??s success to be competitive in the Centennial will be seen as when take the next step in developing their tactical strategies on the field.??
Senior captain Anna Baeth (Frederick, Md. / Frederick) will be a driving force on the Garnet's backline this season. After leading Swarthmore in most defensive saves during 16 starts last season, Baeth received her first All-Centennial nod (second team) . Classmate Jordan Schmidt (Houston, Texas / St. John's School), a solid defender was tied for the most assists on the team. The corner specialist started in all 17 games last season and will give the Garnet a much needed edge on the both sides of the field.
Goalie Katie Ashmore '11 (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton High) finished her freshman campaign starting in every game last season while posting a save percentage just under 0.70. Ashmore tallied her first career shut out against Neumann on Sept. 8th when the Garnet won, 2-0. Along with reserve goalie Gina Grubb '10 (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oakland Catholic), the two have been training with assistant coach Renee Clarke in the pre-season and feel ready to take on the tough Centennial competition.
The remaining of the tri-captain duties are shared by seniors Ashley Gunter (Crisfield, Md. / Worcester Prep) and Sarah Reynolds (Potomac, Md. / Holton-Arms School), who have dominated the transition game in the midfield for the past three years for the Garnet.
Natalie Stone '09 (Philadelphia, Pa. / Friends Select School) is in charge of Swarthmore??s front line; in her junior year she finished first on team for both goals (nine) and points (18), including a second career hat-trick on Sept. 11 during a 5-1 win over Richard Stockton at Clothier Field. The senior forward hopes to get offensive help from Abbe Muller '10 (West Hartford, Conn. / Conard) and Sara McCabe '11 (Millsboro, Del. / Sussex Central).
The team opens the regular season with a tournament the last weekend in August at Drew University (N.J.). Swarthmore will face non-conference teams Roanoke and Cabrini Colleges. They are on the road for the next two games, starting with defending Centennial Conference Champions Ursinus and then non-conference Neumann. The Garnet will finally return to Clothier Field on Saturday, September 13th for their first home contest against Eastern University at 12:00.