For Field Hockey's Kauffman, It's All In The Family
10/20/2000 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Oct. 20, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md.
by Ryan Sakamoto
The Diamondback
Before senior back Molly Kauffman ever put on a Terrapin field hockey uniform, she felt like a part of the team. Since 1992 the Kauffman family has been a part of Terps' field hockey. It started with her older sister Kate Kauffman, now an assistant with the Terps, who was one of the most decorated players of her era. Kate Kauffman is the only Terp field hockey player to have represented the United States in the Olympics, which she did in Atlanta in 1996.
Often a younger sibling will choose a different school so she can make her own name and avoid comparison. Some players would even fear cries of nepotism from teammates, especially when a sister is a team's assistant coach. None of that played a role in Molly Kauffman's decision.
"I just wanted to go to college and play, it was never an issue of me getting special treatment, no one ever thought that," Kauffman said. Kauffman's defensive talent has been vital to the Terps' quest for the NCAA championship, but her versatility is what has made her stand out. A former All-American forward at Wilson High School in West Lawn, Pa., Kauffman still shows attacking tendencies, which is what makes the Terps transition from defense to attack seem so effortless.
"Molly came to us as a forward, now she is just an incredible defender, but she has the background and mentality of an attacker," coach Missy Meharg said. "You have to be on your toes as a forward on the other team, because Molly will take it down field and score a goal. As a right halfback, Molly has been in the opposing circle over 25 times and that's an incredible statistic. With a lot of teams you'll never see a right or left back in the circle."
While Kauffman was a talented attacker, some the intangibles of her game led Meharg to believe she was better suited toward playing defense early in her Terp career.
"She has a real natural sense of the danger space, she is very low in her body position and she is very coachable," Meharg said. "Forwards sometimes are a little bit impatient and Molly's personality lends to being patient and being very coachable. So with those two skills, it was very easy to mold her into a right halfback."
Kauffman was never disappointed about being moved off the front line though. While Kauffman may have made more headlines as a forward, defense is something she has grown to appreciate.
"Wherever I was going to get the opportunity to play on the field I was going to take it," Kauffman said. "I think defense is an amazing position on the field, there is so much responsibility on the backfield and I just love that responsibility."
More important than skill is the mentality and leadership Kauffman has brought to the team. Kauffman is not the star of the team, but she is among the most respected, which is why she has been the team captain for the past two seasons.
"She is so natural as a person and so exceedingly compassionate and honest," Meharg said. "I think she has learned that sacrifices need to be made to be great, I think she recognizes things don't come easy and she is a walking example of that."
Her actions during last year's postseason said more to her team than any pre-game pep talk could have done. With a fractured femur, Kauffman played through the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Kauffman's resilient nature can be credited to the strong family support she has received from her parents, Doug and Jeanette. "I give them a lot of credit for where I am," Kauffman said. "Theyve always been there for me and it helps you grow as a player knowing you have that support."
TERP NOTES: Tonight's opponent, No. 14 James Madison (10-5), won't be afraid to attack the Terps defense early and often. They have out-shot opponents 314-153, including a 40-shot performance against LaSalle on Sept. 30. Senior forward Liz Sanders is second in the nation in scoring with 23 goals and four assists.
"With JMU we have to be aware of a lot of scrappy play," Meharg said. "They are very tenacious in their character and we just need to set a standard of intensity on the field."
James Madison coach Irene Horvat, who is in her first year with the Dukes, was the Terps' goalie from 1991-94 and still appears in the program record book as the career leader in shutouts with 42.5 and the career leader in goals against average at 1.01.
Sunday, the No. 3 Terps (13-2, 2-1 ACC) host No. 2 North Carolina (15-1, 3-0).
"Looking at North Carolina they have tremendous athletes and very experienced field hockey players on their squad," Meharg said. "All Maryland needs to do at this time really is stay more focused on us than anything out there and really work mentally hard at doing that."
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