After a 2-17 record last season, the Ball State University field hockey team feels more confident and has more experience, which it believes will be the deciding factor in improving the team as a whole.
The players have become very close knit during the off season and that is something that coach Annette Payne believes will keep the girls together throughout the regular season, she said.
"We are definitely a unified team; we are an incredibly motivated team," Payne said. "We are passionate about what we're doing and are very committed."
The team begins its season of redemption against Davidson College and Appalachian State University this weekend at Davidson.
Payne has been pushing her team to prepare for its season opener.
"I do think there have been a lot of good things happening in practice this week," Payne said. "I think if we continue on this path through the season we will do fine."
Payne said she thinks it should be a good weekend for her team.
"I think these two games are going to be important games for us. We want to start the season off on the right way," Payne said. "Take one game at a time and be positive every time."
Payne said it is important for her team to take each and every game this season as if it was its last and give everything it has, every day out on the field.
"You can't overlook the first game and start looking at the second when playing back-to-back games; we must take one game at a time," Payne said.
The team's final week of practice is being used as a time to mentally prepare it and take care of any finishing touches before it makes the trip to North Carolina.
"All kinds of things have been going on during practice this week," Payne said. "We have different focuses each and every day, defense and fielding the ball is something that we have focused on a lot at practice this week."
The team played well in its scrimmage last Wednesday against Indiana University but found things it needs to improve on.
"We learned a lot of things. Defense and attack are things we learned we needed to work on," Payne said. "We found things we needed to improve on and minor adjustments we need to make before this weekend."
The season opener for the field hockey team will be on Saturday against Davidson, who was 8-14 last season, at 1:30 p.m. The second game will be on Sunday against Appalachian State, who mirrored Ball State with a 2-17 record, at 11 a.m.
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