It was no accident the Massachusetts club field hockey team made it back to the National Field Hockey League championship for a second straight year.
It’s what happens when a strong group of leaders come together and everyone around the team buys in. While UMass didn’t end up winning the tournament, its accomplishments as a program should not go unnoticed. Not long ago, the club didn’t exist, and in a short time they have shaped themselves into a national title contender.
With a record of 9-1-3, UMass entered the National Championship tournament as the sixth overall seed in a group with in-state rival Northeastern and top-seeded North Carolina. The team was looking to improve on last year’s performance, when it lost the first two games of pool play.
The journey to that point wasn’t an easy one. Senior captain Shaina McGinnis reflected on how far the program has come since her freshman year.
“Four years ago (the University) let the team go (as a chartered club), and my freshman year they brought it back,” McGinnis said. “Our first year was a little rocky, but we’ve been improving ever since”.
Many different factors have to be at work for a team to improve so quickly. It starts with the guidance of leaders like McGinnis, fellow senior captain Nikki Wrin and other players on the club like Nicole Noonan. Another major factor, according to Noonan, is the guidance of their club sports advisor, Brian Arnold.
“(Arnold) has helped through the whole way,” Noonan said. “Usually we can’t practice on the turf fields, but he puts in a good word for us and we really need to play on the turf, and we wouldn’t be going to nationals without him.”
Strong recruiting is also one of the pillars the team is built on. UMass takes advantage of the Activities Expo every year, but for members of the team, recruiting goes beyond that.
“We try and find friends of friends on campus, people we know that came from a good high school (field hockey program), and a lot of us are from around the area so we know where the good players are coming from,” Wrin said.
At the end of the day, once the roster is put together, Wrin said the team still has to show up and be willing to put the work in to improve.
“We have been stressing how important it is to be down (at the field) practicing everyday and playing together so we can connect as a team, and that has been one of the biggest things that has helped us succeed is having a lot of people showing up at the practices,” she said.
While the varsity field hockey team finishes its practice at Garber Field, the club team waits patiently for its turn. Four years ago, before they regained their charter, it would have seemed unlikely the club team would have access to the same field Division I athletes play on. It would have seemed more unlikely UMass would turn into a national title contender. But through the hard work and dedication of its members, that’s exactly what happened.
Nick Souza can be reached at [email protected].
