By Tyler Blint-Welsh, news correspondent
With 100 yards of open space and 21 other players on the field, keeping watch over a 7 by 12-foot goal certainly isn’t the most action-packed role on the field hockey pitch. But for sophomore Rebecca “Becky” Garner, the goal is her domain. Selected to the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) All-Rookie Team as a freshman last season, and voted to the All-CAA Preseason Team this year, Garner has been one of the key cogs for the No. 18 Northeastern team this season, helping lead the Huskies to their first-ever CAA regular season championship.
Born in Scotland, Garner lived in Nigeria, Switzerland, France and South Africa before moving to England for her high school years. It was in England where Becky first picked up a field hockey stick.
“My brother always played ice hockey, so I was familiar with the sport, but I had never seen field hockey before,” Garner said. “One day, at my second practice actually, the keeper was ill and the coach asked if anyone wanted to play goalie, and I was just like ‘Yeah!’ And since then, I’ve been playing keeper.”
Though field hockey is her specialty, Garner is a well-rounded athlete.
“I’ve played every sport under the sun,” she said.
Before coming to Northeastern, Garner was a competitive swimmer, netball player, captain of her track and field team, a fencer, a modern pentathlon competitor and was on the Great Britain Junior Olympic Bobsleigh team, though she was two months too young to compete. She eventually chose to concentrate on one sport: field hockey.
“It gets to a point where, if you want to be the best at what you do, you can’t do all these other things,” Garner said. “So I decided to focus on field hockey.”
While she certainly could have achieved more individual accolades as a sprinter or a fencer, what drew Garner to field hockey was the team environment.
“I love being on a team, and even though I had the opportunity to do individual sports, it’s always nice to have emotional support and a group of people you go through everything with,” she said.
But this season, it’s been Garner herself who has provided the support.
“Becky is a player that makes you want to play better,” junior forward Vanessa Pryor said. “She gets everyone pumped, and it gets to the point where, when you get back there on a defensive corner, you want to make that save for her. You want to get that shutout for her.”
Garner’s positive encouragement is a great motivator, according to redshirt senior back Kaci Coveleski.
“Being in the center and having her behind me, I’m always listening to her encourage me and hearing her encourage everyone else,” Coveleski said. “Her energy is contagious. We always say it starts in the back, and Becky is definitely one to bring it every single game.”
While Garner has already grown into a natural leader in her second year on this side of the pond, her transition to the US was not a seamless one.
“I started [as keeper] last year, and it was stressful,” she said. “Part of it was that sport in England was just not as big of a deal as it is here. I didn’t know what I was getting myself in for [sic].”
Though playing goalkeeper certainly wasn’t a new experience for her, Garner said she was unaccustomed to having such a huge role on a team. She credits tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and the leadership of the upperclassmen around for helping her get to where she is today.
Coveleski notes that Garner has changed dramatically from the nervous freshman that she was at times last season. Garner admitted that when she let in goals last season, she would often let her emotions take her out of the game, but that is a thing of the past.
“[She has developed] such a confident persona, that it doesn’t even phase me that I’m four or five years older than her,” Coveleski said.
Garner’s mere presence on the pitch is enough to keep teammates motivated.
“Seeing her make that next play [after a goal] and having her behind me keeping it going is one of the greatest things,” junior midfielder Zoe Kale said.
Because of Garner’s will and determination, Coveleski said that she sees her being captain next season.
“She demands respect out of everyone,” Coveleski said.
Off the pitch, her teammates enjoy her presence even more. Coveleski recounted road trips during which the two were roommates and waking up to Garner making her tea.
The team also pointed out a lighter side of the star goaltender. With a laugh, Pryor explained the hilarity that is Garner attempting to dance. And with a touch of admiration in her voice, Kale explained how the goalie is never without her “huge official photographer camera,” taking videos of the team wherever they go.
In a 4-2 win over the College of William & Mary on Monday, Garner made a career-high 15 saves, helping her team earn the top seed in the CAA postseason tournament. The Huskies will face James Madison University on Friday, where Garner’s goalie skills will be put to the ultimate test.
As the season comes to a close, it remains to be seen how far Northeastern can carry its success, but with Rebecca Garner in the net, the Huskies are in good hands.
Photo courtesy Zack Williamson, Northeastern Athletics
