By Jane Marks, news correspondent
Northeastern women’s field hockey celebrated their seniors over the past few weeks as Rachel Campbell and June Curry-Lindahl both received Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Week honors.
Both athletes shined in their game against James Madison this past weekend as Curry-Lindahl scored the game-tying point before halftime and Campbell scored the game winning point in the last 38 seconds. This put the team in an ideal position, standing at a record of 3-1 in their conference in what has proven to be an “incredibly difficult year,” said head coach Shelly Morris.
Campbell grew up surrounded by field hockey in Watertown, Massachusetts, where she aspired to join the high school team from a young age.
Watertown High School is known for its field hockey.In fact, the Watertown Raiders hadn’t lost a game since 2009 until last season against Winchester. This loss ended a 184-game winning streak. Campbell said she looked up to the high school players before her.
“Rachel came from an amazing program,” Morris said of her high school program.
Coming to play for Northeastern, Campbell switched to defense after playing forward throughout her high school career, a challenge she openly embraced.
“I took it day by day and I stuck to what I knew. The skills kinda came with that and followed,” said Campbell, who now plays midfield, a position that allows her more scoring opportunities.
Curry-Lindahl was also exposed to the sport at a young age as she grew up in Belgium.
“I’ve always been competitive,” said Curry-Lindahl, whose brother also plays field hockey. “I fell in love with the sport.”
Curry-Lindahl also mentioned that, after being recruited to play for Northeastern, she fell in love with Boston and wants to stay in the United States after graduation.
With graduation right around the corner for both Campbell and Curry-Lindahl, both players appreciate this year’s NU team that much more, especially this past Sunday on Senior Day.
“I couldn’t ask for a better team or better teammates,” said Curry-Lindahl.
She went on to say that she looks forward to seeing her teammates each day, especially as a way to de-stress after classes.
After being named CAA Player of the week, Curry-Lindahl still prioritizes her team and her personal growth over recognition.
“Those awards for me don’t really mean that much,” she said, adding that she instead wants to focus on scoring more.
With a big game against the University of Delaware this weekend, that mentality will be important.
“We got a big weekend coming up and we are excited about it,” said Morris.
