By Katie Zigelman, News Staff
After a third-place Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) finish in the 2010 season, the field hockey team is getting ready for a fresh start with a new assistant coach and seven recruits.
“There is a lot of depth to this year’s team,” head coach Cheryl Murtagh, who is entering her 24th coaching season with NU, said. “We have a good substitution system so we will be able to keep our players fresh.”
Garreth Ewing, who is joining the team as the new assistant coach, comes to Northeastern from the University of North Carolina where he served as an assistant to the Tar Heels, who went 22-3 in 2010 and played in the national championship game versus Maryland.
Ewing also brings experience on the international level. He grew up in South Africa, where he coached for the University of Johannesburg and the South Africa Junior World Cup team.
“[Ewing] brings a lot of knowledge and understanding to the team,” senior captain and midfielder Kaela Barker said. “He has a new perspective and an international perspective that really benefits the team.”
The team is also excited about their new recruits, which include forward Annelise Hutchinson, midfielders Laura Dimitruk, Caroline Judge and Hilary Smith and backs Sam Burke, Laura Dimitruk and Katie Carlson.
Carlson spent part of her summer at the USA Field Hockey Junior National Camp with sophomore forward Lindsay Bennett.
She is also one of two recruits joining the team with a high school state championship under her belt. She captained her team at Watertown High School to the title while Judge led her team at Cape Henlopen High School (Del.) to three straight championships.
“You always miss those who graduate both on and off the field,” Barker said. “But the [new recruits] are all great players.”
This year there is a new self-start rule that allows players to immediately put the ball into play themselves instead of having to pass it in. According to Murtagh, this rule increases the tempo of games forcing the players to be in even better shape.
However, Murtagh feels her team has made a strong effort to stay fit through the off-season.
The team has a 19-game season ahead of them, and Murtagh said each match-up will be challenging, with no easy wins on the schedule.
“There is nobody we are playing against who won’t come after us,” she said.
The team kicks off the season with a scrimmage against the University of Albany and the University of Vermont Aug. 22 at Sweeney Field. The first regular season game is a road contest against the University of Maine Aug. 26.
According to the CAA preseason coaches’ poll, Northeastern is predicted to finish fourth in the conference.
But Barker has different plans in mind.
“Our main goal is to win CAA and host playoffs,” she said. “To do that we have to work well as a team and play as a team.”
