Though the 2-0 start for the Ball State University field hockey team was not expected, the mindset for coach Annette Payne and her players remains the same.
Coming off back-to-back wins last weekend against Davidson College and Appalachian State University, the spirits and confidence levels of all the players remain high, yet humble, at the same time.
"This weekend was definitely a confidence booster," forward Hannah Jones said. "We don't want to look at the future or even the past."
This week Jones was named one of two Mid-American Conference players of the week after her offensive performance, finding the back of the net three times in just a single weekend.
"I was extremely happy and surprised," Jones said. "I've never earned anything like this before, it was good for our team to get something like this."
Each of the players love how they're playing so far this season and look forward to each and every weekend.
"Practice is going well so far and I'm excited to get out there and play two more games," Jones said.
Payne said her team only has a couple of days to prepare for the next two games, so when they get the chance to practice they must be selective on their decision making.
"We've been practicing and learning how to stay within our structure and transition," Payne said. "Those are what we keep reinforcing."
Every player has goals of what they believe will help improve the team in some way.
"We set goals for each and every game," Jones said. "We gather info after every game and see if we made the goals we set for ourselves."
Jones' individual goals are to push herself as hard as she can and to make the team work harder as a whole. To keep her team focused week in and week out, she makes sure her team focuses on the development over the program.
While it is a long season and the Cardinals play many different teams with different styles of attacks, the game plan always stays the same.
"Our focus for each game and each team is Ball State, we want to stay the same," Payne said. "We use each day and each game as an opportunity to grow."
The success of the field hockey team thus far has been credited to the hard work it's put in so far this season.
"The trust they have is allowing them to work hard and develop," Payne said. "The dedication to the process is why we've been successful so early."
The team takes on Fairfield University at 3 p.m. today in Fairfield, Conn., and will face Villanova University at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Villanova, Pa.
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