Reenergized ESU Beats Top-Ranked West Chester in Field Hockey 

By Ronald Hanaki

Sports Editor

 

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Sept. 26, ESU’s field hockey team beat top-ranked West Chester 4-0 in its PSAC home opener at Whitenight Field.

For the Warriors, it was their first win over a number one-ranked team since 2010.

It was a total team victory. Goals came from junior midfielder Desiraye Mack, senior midfielder Lindsay Blum, freshman midfielder Paige Harrold and senior forward Ally Roth.

Roth continues adding to her legend with 59 career goals at ESU.

Junior goalkeeper Danielle Ard made 6 saves in the shutout.

Head coach Sandy Miller said, “It was a phenomenal team win. Everyone played well. The offense played well. The midfield played well. The goalkeeper played well. It was as total of a team win as they come.”

Beating West Chester gives our whole team a confidence boost. If we can beat the best team in the conference, we can beat anyone,” Said Senior co-captain and center back Amanda Wnorowski.

After beating the top-ranked team, the sky is the limit for the Warriors. But after the game, Coach Miller addressed her team and said, “That was a great team win, so let’s enjoy that. But tomorrow at practice, we can get better.”

Coach Miller said, “If we think we know everything as coaches, then that is when we should get out of coaching. ‘Never satisfied’ is the motto that we live by. We will outwork our opponents as players and coaches and however we can.”

“The PSAC is too good to become complacent. You start hanging out, and that’s when people go by you,” stated Coach Miller.

The team has always been talented, but they seem to be more motivated and unified than ever before. Some of that team unity can be credited to a book called “The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon.

Coach Miller said, “After last season, we had to get tougher mentally and buy into the teamwork concept more. So the coaching staff decided that the team was going to read a book.”

Coach Miller continued, “I attended a couple of conferences with the U.S. team, and we really did our homework. We considered a number of books, but we thought that ‘The Energy Bus was the one that could give us the most. The book is about having each other’s backs. You are the driver of your own bus. That idea has united us, and a lot of the kids got a lot out of that.”

“Lindsay [Blum], our other captain, talked about it. Rules 4, 5, and 6 – it’s pretty cool stuff. We got a lot of out of that,” said Coach Miller.

The lessons that the book imparted to the team have translated into success on the field. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the reenergized Warriors continued their stellar play by beating Bloomsburg 3-0.

ESU (7-2, 2-0) is currently in second place in the PSAC. The Warriors will kick off a two-game home stand beginning with Mercyhurst on the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 3.

 

Email Ronald at:

rhanaki@live.esu.edu