Newest club team aspires for championship

By Gina Massetani

Club Field Hockey was created four years ago and became the newest club team to represent Santa Clara. This year, the team is looking forward to a very competitive season with hopes of a championship season.

Junior Jessica Pereira explained how the West Coast Field Hockey Conference, a league the team entered four years ago, doesn't have any rules governing when teams can join the league. The number of teams fluctuates throughout the season.

"This past year it had several more teams join which is really exciting and gives us the opportunity to play more teams throughout California," said Pereira.

Added senior Natalie Kidd, "This year is probably our strongest year. We have a lot of strong players. Last year was a little rough because a good amount of our players were abroad in the fall. We actually only played one game last year. We are making a good comeback which is great."

Focusing on creating a strong team for the season, the girls were also trying to overcome the disadvantage of only practicing for two weeks. Most teams had been practicing for almost two months.

Unlike most college sports, field hockey tryouts were "self-cut," Kidd explained. The girls that worked hard and were consistently dedicated to the tryout process were given a spot on the team.

The team is comprised of mostly returning sophomores and juniors, which gives them an advantage over previous years.

"We all get along," said Kidd with a smile. "We can have our differences, but at the end of the day we let those go. We need to get along as friends to get along as teammates."

The team's diversity and involvement outside of field hockey has given character to a well-rounded team, said Kidd. Many of the girls are also involved in the Greek system at Santa Clara. Despite the outside commitments, the team hasn't suffered on the field.

"Team sports help you manage your time and make you more confident to go out and do other things," said Kidd.

The team played their first two games against tough competition: Cal Poly, who is ranked first in the league, and UCSB. After two tough losses, Kidd feels there is a lot to be learned from their early season competition.

"How we progressed as a team got way better," said Kidd. "From the first game on Saturday to the third game on Sunday there was a huge improvement so we can definitely take those teams on next time."

With about 10-15 teams in the conference, the field hockey team is traveling a lot this season. They play each team twice, with home games on Saturdays and away games on Sundays.

"We have a very new team so we are focusing on playing together...and trying to continue the legacy of Santa Clara field hockey so the program doesn't die off," said Kidd. "It is definitely a much more competitive season this year. Our goal is to get to Championships this season."

Looking into the future, Pereira added, "Ideally we'd love to go Division I. It may not happen right away, but with dedication and commitment from the girls, the school and the league, it definitely has the potential to do so."

Contact Gina Massetani at gmassetani@scu.edu or (408) 554-4849.