Field hockey moves forward

For the field hockey team, the 2012 season signifies a change in leadership.

Last year, the Owls had a strong core of senior leadership, led by All-American Bridget Settles.

Settles, along with four other seniors, led a young Temple team that saw freshmen such as forward Amber Youtz and goalkeeper Lizzy Millen develop into solid contributors.

Coach Amanda Janney is looking forward to Millen’s continued improvement in front of the goal.

“[Millen] will have a breakout year, she had a great [Atlantic 10 Conference] tournament and played [United States Field Hockey Association] High Performance Squad, which gave her a lot of confidence and playing experience this spring,” Janney said in an email.

Co-Captains, senior Katie Briglia and junior Molly Doyle, will be leading the young Owls’ squad, who has one senior and eight incoming freshmen this year.

Janney said that she is most concerned about losing two strong defensive backs, with both Carissa Young and Becca Keener graduating.

“We lost two starting backs, but [Doyle] has stepped up this spring and took over as center back,” Janney said. “[Junior midfielder] Mandi Shearer also brings back experience as the other starting defender, so our team defense should develop into a consistent force for us.”

But opening the 2012 season with two Atlantic Coast Conference opponents won’t be an easy task for the Owls. The Temple Invitational kicks off their season, featuring games against Virginia and Duke.

Temple ended their 2011 season with loss to Richmond in the A-10 final, and this year they won’t be able to get a rematch until late in the season on Oct. 21.

This season, the Owls are set to face three teams that finished ranked nationally in the Top 10 in 2011, and will have to do it with only one senior.

Here’s a look at the complete schedule for the 2012 field hockey season.

8/19/2012 Sun. Cherry & White Scrimmage (Alumni Game) Geasey Field 1:00 PM Details
Temple Invitational
8/24/2012 Fri. Virginia Geasey Field 4:00 PM Live Stats Details
8/26/2012 Sun. Duke Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/2/2012 Sun. Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 1:00 PM Details
9/5/2012 Wed. Monmouth West Long Branch, N.J. 4:30 PM Details
9/8/2012 Sat. Penn State Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/9/2012 Sun. Lafayette Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/14/2012 Fri. Delaware Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/16/2012 Sun. Drexel Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/22/2012 Sat. Colgate Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
9/23/2012 Sun. Bucknell Lewisburg, Pa. 2:00 PM Details
9/28/2012 Fri. Longwood Farmville, Va. 7:00 PM Details
9/30/2012 Sun. Maryland College Park, Md. 1:00 PM Details
10/5/2012 Fri. * VCU Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/6/2012 Sat. Radford Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/12/2012 Fri. * La Salle Philadelphia, Pa. 3:30 PM Details
10/14/2012 Sun. * Lock Haven Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/19/2012 Fri. * Saint Louis (Play 4 the Cure) Geasey Field 3:00 PM Live Stats Details
10/21/2012 Sun. * Richmond Richmond, Va. 1:00 PM Details
10/26/2012 Fri. * Massachusetts Amherst, Mass. 3:00 PM Details
10/28/2012 Sun. * Saint Joseph’s (Senior Day) Geasey Field 1:00 PM Live Stats Details
Atlantic 10 Championships
11/2/2012 Fri. A-10 Semifinals Amherst, Mass. TBA Details
11/3/2012 Sat. A-10 Final Amherst, Mass. TBA Details
11/6/2012 Tue. NCAA Play-In Game TBA TBA Details

Colin Tansits