As August blends into September, sports fans around the country
have baseball pennant races and opening kickoffs on their mind.
Billiken fans, however, are getting excited for collegiate field
hockey. The Billiken field hockey team gets ready to open their
regular season on Saturday, Aug. 28.
For the opener, Southwest Missouri State University brings a
tough squad to face the Billikens at 1:30 p.m. at the
Anheuser-Busch Center. The Billikens played only one preseason
game, scoring a come-from-behind victory over Lindenwood University
on Aug. 20. Lindenwood jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, but the
scrappy Billis fought back to score four goals in the second half
of play to win 4-1.
The Lions fought a tough battle against the Bills, and their
coach could not have been happier. “We showed maturity by making
adjustments after halftime…we finished well in the circle today.
I expected the team to perform well as a unit,” Whitehead noted in
a press release, after coming from behind on the Lions.
The Bills are looking hard to improve upon a rocky 2003 campaign
that saw them go 3-16. The schedule does not contain any cupcakes,
and the Bills will have to fight hard every game. However, the
Bills seemed poised to handle the onslaught with a group of savvy
veterans and hungry underclassmen.
Senior Ellen Rapp and juniors Carin Boone and Jamie Smeland lead
a star-studded midfield, with sophomore Michelle Sinclair ready to
help ease the burden.
Two ladies who know the nuances of scoring, senior Marissa Lynn
and junior Kelly Hellenga, will lead the Billiken scoring charge
this season, while freshman Natalie Slyman has an opportunity to
contribute.
Any good field hockey team needs a staunch defense, and defense
starts with the goalkeeper. The Bills have some issues to answer in
the net during the season, if not before it starts. Junior Julie
Moeckel is working her best to stave off freshman standout Amy
Wasserman. If the Bills can get their goalie situation in order,
the outlook for this season will be bright.
Assisting whomever it may be who wins the number-one keeper
position will be a nice mix of defensive players.
Stephanie Bus and Jill Mueller return to Billiken defense, ready
for another year.
After sitting out most of last season with an injury, Courtney
Gasparovic’s comeback to the defense will add another veteran ready
to go.
Freshmen Rita Murphy and Ashlea Hibshman are both young, but
have the potential to be major contributors to the Bills.
At the helm for the Bills is the young but talented and highly
acclaimed Maria Whitehead.
Whitehead was a member of the 2002 National Championship squad
at Wake Forest.
Whitehead’s accolades at Wake Forest are almost unparalleled.
Whitehead was first-team ACC in 2001 and 2002.
Soon, fans of field hockey will see how the Bills size up, with
a tough divisional game Saturday.
