Season Preview
veteran “o”, new “d” for field hockey

Although Kristen Sabia is looking forward to her senior field hockey season at Muhlenberg, what she sees

Notarianni has 25 career goals and needs three more to move into the Mules’ all-time top 10.

when she looks back is important.

The Mules graduated their entire starting defense – three backs and a two-year starter at goalie – and have spent the preseason rebuilding their defensive line in front of a freshman goalie.

“It is a little different – I was so used to having the older girls back there,” said Sabia. “But I really believe our underclassmen have stepped up. I have complete faith in them. It’s not like I look back and think, ‘oh no.’”

The new-look defense will get its first test on Tuesday when the Mules

Sabia recorded 33 points in her first three seasons.

travel to William Paterson, ranked 20th in the Division III preseason poll. The team returns home to host a tournament, which includes No. 17 Elizabethtown, next weekend.

The tough early schedule will prepare Muhlenberg for what promises to be a challenging slate in the Centennial Conference, which includes three more nationally ranked teams. Muhlenberg made the playoffs in back-to-back years for the first time in program history in 2006 and 2007, but slipped to an 8-10 record last season.

“Last year I don’t think we had the team we wanted to,” commented Sabia. “The three seniors want to finish going to the playoffs, and we’re really trying to push that into the freshmen. We want to show them what Muhlenberg field hockey is all about.”

It figures to be about scoring goals in 2009. Returning players

Among Cohn’s 12 goals last year was the overtime winner in a 1-0 upset of No. 6 Johns Hopkins.

accounted for all but two of the Mules’ 37 goals last year, and the top three scorers were all juniors, making for a very experienced and potent attack.

Tara Cohn had a breakout season, scoring a team-leading 12 goals to earn All-CC second-team honors. Nicki Notarianni found the back of the net six times, and Sabia contributed four goals and a career-best four assists.

Also back on the forward line are sophomore Jillian Katz (four goals) and junior Chessie Martinez (two goals).

“I really have high hopes on the offensive side,” said Sabia. “We’re at the point where we know how we all play – it makes it easier to function as an offensive unit.”

Four players who started in the midfield return, although some of them will move to the back. Junior Jess Kasza was the team’s fourth-leading scorer with 10 points, and sophomore Shelby Smith added two assists. Junior Amanda DiMarco showed great improvement as a sophomore, starting all 18 games and scoring a goal, and sophomore Renee Norton started five games in her first year.

After playing in seven games last year, sophomore Cait Teegarden is expected to start in the back.

According to Sabia, the team had a strong preseason and is ready to go. “We have a very positive attitude, and we are all working well as a team, always pushing each other. You can tell on the field we have good chemistry. It’s going to affect our play in a positive way.”