The Ursinus Field Hockey team has begun its season with a 2-1 record in three non-conference games after two straight seasons of conference games with 8-2 records. The team was predicted to come in third place in their conference preseason poll. Over the summer, the Ursinus team was officially ranked 19th in the nation in field hockey.
Despite opening the season with a loss to Rowan, the team buckled down for back-to-back wins against Messiah College and William Smith College. Messiah’s field hockey team is ranked fourth in the nation, so this was a very important win for the Bears.
Against Messiah, senior Gemma Dufoe scored two goals, leading her team to its first win of the season. In the following game against William Smith College, Ursinus took another win, shutting out the opponents with a score of 4-0. Each of these goals were scored by four different players: Dufoe, Devon Caroll, Erin Saybolt, and Kayla Paulson.
Another vital asset to this team and its stellar performance in early non-conference games has been junior goalkeeper Addie Frey. Frey has shone extremely brightly. She saved a total of 24 shots on goal in the three games, with a goal saving average of 80 percent. Out of these 24 blocked shots, 17 of them were in the game against Rowan College.
Despite the fact that the team lost to Rowan, Frey kept her team in the game. Ultimately, Ursinus lost 5-4.
The game truly was a battle between the goalkeepers as each team had a high shot accuracy and played extremely well. However, Frey still outdid herself, and was awarded Philadelphia Defensive Field Hockey Player of the Week. The girls have shown that their team has earned their place at 13th in the nation. They continue to gain momentum to meet preseason expectations and perhaps exceed them with Addie Frey and Gemma Dufoe leading the charge.