As the field hockey team opens its season this weekend, coach Annette Payne said it's time to correct the errors of last season.
"In fixing last year, I think that this year we start from the first game," the first-year head coach said. "We need to make each game as important as the next one."
The Cardinals had three wins over Top 10-ranked opponents last fall, but they finished the season at 9-10.
Payne said her team learned from last season and now must apply these lessons this weekend in Harrisonburg, Va.
"Last year was a great year in terms of what the team discovered in themselves and discovered in certain areas: in the area of team, in the area of leadership, in the area of importance of respect, in loyalty," Payne said. "This year, they understand all that."
The team's first chance to prove it can learn comes Saturday against Radford, who finished 9-11 last season. The schools have never faced each other in field hockey before.
Ball State has had success in season openers recently. Over the past 12 seasons, the team has gone 9-3 in their first games, including three straight.
After Radford, the Cardinals face James Madison University on Sunday. JMU finished the 2002 season 13-9 and ranked No. 12 nationally. While Ball State owns the overall edge in the series, 4-3, James Madison has beaten the Cardinals in the past three contests, including a 10-1 victory in 2001.
The team lost five starters to graduation last year, including team leaders Alyson Haynes and Jenn Budney. Payne said, however, this year's senior class has already begun to lead and teach the rest of the team.
"I think everybody is a leader, and everybody has an important role," Payne said, "but I think that, as of right now, the upperclassmen have been doing a great job leading the team into the direction that we want to go."
Senior Afton Hess, who was the team's leading scorer last year with 11 goals and five assists, is returning for her fourth year as a full-time starter. Seniors Louise Strano and Becky Weaver were also starters last year.
"We have very experienced deep backs. We have very experienced forwards," Payne said. "With that combined, we have a strong core unit as well as a team that's very good at staying together and teaching and learning from one another."
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