After a 2-17 season in 2008, the future looks bright for the Ball State University women's field hockey team in 2009. The teams' two seniors, Tiffany Shifflett and Brooke MacGillivary, will lead a combined 14 juniors and sophomores to make up a deep and experienced team.
The Cardinals open their season Wednesday with a home scrimmage against Indiana University. The first match that will count towards the team record will be Aug. 29 at Davidson College. Last season, the Cardinals defeated the Wildcats 2-0 with a goal from sophomore Brittany Hammer to give them their first of two victories in 2008.
Coach Annette Payne said the nucleus of the team consists of juniors and sophomores, which will give the Cardinals the advantage of experience.
"The team this year is a lot more experienced than last year. A lot of freshman got to play last season which gives them an advantage," Payne said.
Payne also said that having more experience will help them learn more and be more successful on the field.
After the spring season, Payne said she and her team felt confident heading into the regular season. The team played a lot better and worked incredibly hard to improve, she said.
"We're striving for what we did in the spring to do in the fall," Payne said. "We're picking up where we left off, if you will."
Hammer said she also has reason to believe the team will be more successful this season compared to last year. She said the team will be a lot stronger and the freshman class coming in will contribute early.
She also said the team is young, but is experienced from the amount of playing time the freshman received last season. Hammer said she has been working hard to prepare for the season.
"I'm making sure I'm staying fit and working on getting stronger," Hammer said. "I'm also making sure I stay focused in the game. I'm trying not to let the little things in the game upset me."
Senior goalkeeper Tiffany Shifflett said she is working on being the team leader and improving her goal-to-save percentage. Being one of two seniors on the team this year, she said she wants to be someone the rest of the team can come to when in need of advice.
Shifflett has also kept in touch with the incoming freshman to try to help make their transition to Ball State easier.
Payne said she believes the freshman will not have a problem with being accepted by the rest of the team.
The main aspect Payne wants the Cardinals to work on this season is learning how to play the game she wants them to play and the development of the players. She said the spring league helped tremendously and gave them an advantage for this season.
"I got to learn a lot more from my teammates in the spring league," Hammer said. "The team as a whole clicked a lot more and grew closer."
With the regular season drawing near, Payne believes every game is just as important as the next game. She does believe the Mid-American Conference games draw more significance because there is no such thing as a non-conference champion.
As a player, Hammer said she does see at least three games that will draw more significance than the others. She thinks the biggest game will be against Miami University because of the conference rivalry. She also said the game against Ohio University will be a big match for the team because the Cardinals defeated the Bobcats in the spring league and feel they need to prove they can beat them again.
Hammer also said the home game against the Ohio State University will be a big game because the game last season was close.
"Last year the Ohio State game was really close and we were right there with them," Hammer said. "I really think we are on the brink of being able to beat them this year."
The team will begin to see if their spring season work pays dividends during the regular season when the team meets Davidson on Aug. 29.
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