Aug. 30, 2002

By Valerie Lawrence

As preseason is coming to an end, our team is approaching a new beginning. Every year we have a new team. Last year we lost five seniors who each contributed in their own unique way to the success and togetherness of our team. We now have six freshmen to help fill their holes. So far, they have been able to blend in well with the team all the while maintaining thier own personal style. Their class is beginning to rekindle the competitive mentatlity our program needs.

This past Monday night, we played the University of Richmond. In this game, four freshmen represented us in the starting line-up. Simone Dekker surprised Richmond with her individual talent after she put a goal in the back of the net. It was of coarse, no surprise to us because we see her performances in practice everyday.

Ali Andrzejewski, otherwise known as "Question Girl," made quite a contribution to the scoreboard with her hat trick. (For those of you who may not know, a hat trick is when a player scores three goals in one game. I say this because when I was about ten years old, one of my teammates was excited she got a hat trick and I thought she was trying to say that her mom was going to take her to a magic show...) The sideline gossip amongst the bench consisted of phrases such as, "I guess our freshmen are decent."

Always strong and steady, Jenny Biscoe also scored an amazing goal from outside the box that the keeper just couldn't keep her hands on. Most likely this is thanks to the muscles our Strength and Conditiong coach Corliss White gives us in the weight room.

Sneaking up on us are our first traveling matches in Connecticut. This trip is huge for us. We have two games scheduled a day apart so rest time is critical. Early games set the tone for the year. I am not necessarily referring to the outcome, but to the effort and unity displayed in these games.

We are ready to go, here we come 2002 season!