After finishing in second place in the Ivy League last year, the Columbia field hockey team has set the bar high for 2008 and looks to win the Ivy title.
“Top to bottom our team is better than it’s ever been,” said junior back Catherine Campbell. “Winning the Ivy League is something we think and know we can do.”
Senior midfielder Megan Davidson agreed that the team has shown marked improvement over recent years.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Davidson said. “The change from my freshman year to my senior year. We’re a team that’s a competitor, a contender.”
How far Columbia goes this season depends greatly on one specific Ivy League game. Most of the players seem to have the same date circled on their calendars: Oct. 3, when the Lions host defending Ivy League champion Princeton. However, in a league in which each team only plays league opponents once, the Lions are keeping a level head about taking all of their opponents seriously.
“We’re focused on Princeton because they are the defending champions, but we’re not taking any team for granted because every team in the Ivy League brings tough competition,” said junior forward Julie Hatchett.
The focused and steady nature of the team can be attributed to the guidance of head coach Katie Beach, entering her fifth year as head coach of the program. Beach led the team to an all-time best Ivy League record of 5-2 last year.
Although Ivy play doesn’t begin until Sept. 20, an indication of where the team stands so far will be revealed this weekend, as the Lions go on a road trip to Virginia to face William and Mary on Saturday and Richmond on Sunday. “Both Richmond and William and Mary are traditionally strong teams in the NCAA, so it will be a good gauge for us to see where we are,” Davidson said.
Campbell also wanted to make clear the importance of these matchups. “We want to step into the national scene with a force, and we do that by playing these nonconference games,” she said.
The trip also represents a homecoming for Hatchett, who hails from Newport News, Va. “My dad invited 200 people to a big tailgate for [the] William and Mary [game],” she said.
William and Mary is 0-2, coming off losses to Providence and Virginia. Richmond has gone 1-1, defeating Ball State, but losing to Miami (OH). The Lions will square off with William and Mary at 9 a.m. on Saturday and against Richmond at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
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