Hockey 15 Strong in 2008
Although sporting a limited roster of just 15 women, the 2008 edition of the Swarthmore field hockey united as a team to compete together as a stable force.
The season began with the introduction of a new coaching staff headed by the 14th coach in the College's history, Lauren Fuchs. With the help of first-time assistant coach Allie Lokey and the return of Renee Clarke, the staff created an environment for the team to grow as a group and guided them in the development of tactical strategies on the field.
The Garnet offense was led by senior forward Natalie Stone (Philadelphia, Pa. / Friends Select), who lead the team in goals (nine) and points (23) for the second year in a row. For her commitment in the classroom, Stone was named a 2008 Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Star by the Philadelphia-Area Sports Information Directors Association (Philly-SIDA).
Midfielder Ashley Gunter ’09 (Crisfield, Md. / Worcester Prep) was a key starter in the Garnet midfield throughout her four seasons and her senior year was no exception. The senior captain led Swarthmore with eight assists in 2008, tied for sixth in the Conference. Gunter finished with 12 points, third-best on the Garnet and was named to the All-Centennial second team.
Senior defender Anna Baeth (Frederick, Md. / Frederick) was the driving force on the Garnet backline. She led team with defensive saves and ranked third in the Centennial. Junior Gina Grubb (Pittsburgh, Pa. / Oakland Catholic) settled into her new role as a regular starter in the cage while Katie Ashmore (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton High School) provided the Garnet with a solid reserve choice.
The season was highlighted with three nail-biting wins that ended in dramatic fashion. In the opening game of the season, Swarthmore picked-up a win in the final five seconds over Roanoke off an unassisted goal by Stone. In the final two minutes against Neumann, sophomore forward Sophia Ferguson (Brookline, Mass. / The Winsor School) scored the game-winner in the 3-2 win midway through the season. On October 8th, the Garnet had an over-time comeback win over Richard Stockton when Devon Novotnak '11 (Fogelsville, Pa. / Northwestern Lehigh) clinched the 4-3 non-conference win.
Midway through the year, the Garnet had a pair of dynamite back-to-back wins at Clothier Field, topping Bryn Mawr and Arcadia. Swarthmore took an early lead in the Centennial match-up against the Owls with goals from Ferguson and classmate Hadley Roach (Middletown, Del. / St. Andrew’s School). To ensure the win, freshman defender Lara Hasychak (Hollis, N.H. / Hollis Brookline) notched her first collegiate goal to push the final score to 4-0. The second notable game at Clothier was the 6-1 win over Arcadia, where junior Joslyn Young (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Community) scored four goals en route to her first career hat trick.
The Garnet excelled in the classroom as a whole, with eight women earning a spot on the Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll: Ashmore, Grubb, Sarah Reynolds '09 (Potomac, Md. / Holton-Arms School), Hadley Roach '11 (Middletown, Del. / St. Andrew’s), Krista Scheirer '11 (Norristown, Pa. / Germantown Academy), Jordan Schmidt '09 (Houston, Texas / St. John’s School), Stone and Young.
The Garnet concluded the 2008 season with an overall record of 5-13 and 1-9 in the Conference. Swarthmore will look to improve on these marks in the upcoming season although five seniors will graduate. The team will go back to the drawing board in hopes to reach the 2009 Centennial Conference playoffs.