Coach Emily Douglas and the Castleton field hockey team are pleased with their start to the 2024 season. More than a quarter into the season, they’ve appreciated both the highs and lows thus far.

Douglas is confident in this group compared to teams in the past because of their resilience and determination.

“I feel like in the past, the teams I’ve coached here have come out really strong looking to dominate and as soon as any hardships strikes, like for example when our opponent scores, we’ve always head dropped,” Douglas said. “But this year it’s been a whole different team that we’re coaching so we’ve allowed other teams to come out stronger than us and as soon as they score on us it’s like alright now it’s time to turn it on.”

Although Douglas is encouraged with this approach, she also recognizes that this isn’t sustainable if they want to reach their ultimate goal.

“Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but there’s going to come to a point where we can’t afford to do that, so we’ve been really focusing on correcting that because it’s something we’ve never experienced before,” Douglas said. “I just don’t want to continue to get to a point where we let our opponent control the pace of the game. Luckily, we’re coming out on top but I want to be more consistent with our starts.”

The team has shown resilience through the culture they’ve created. Graduate assistant coach Alexis Ruiz realized connectivity within the team the moment she got here. Ruiz has really gotten a chance to become well acquainted with girls and has enjoyed watching them grow.

“I came from a team that didn’t have a great culture so coming here and seeing the girls compete every day ,despite how we played or how practice went, shows how the players have developed a great culture” Ruiz said. “No one is being rude to teammates or disrespecting coaches, and I love how all of the girls are really approachable but watching them continue to grow has been my favorite thing.”

Senior captain Haley Lassen is a testament to the great culture. Lassen is a senior and understands this is her last shot to make an impact for her and her teammates. Lassen is valuing every moment and cherishing all the connections she’s made and will continue to make.

“We’ve worked so hard on building our culture and our ability to be coached has been good, so I try to step out of the locker room with gratitude for every practice and every game with the mindset to compete,” Lassen said. “I’m most appreciative of my teammates and the connections we have both on and off the field. These are the people I wanna maintain relationships with in the future.”

Lassen is finding a balance between having fun and enjoying her final year but also recognizing when she needs to focus. As a leader Lassen understands the importance of mentally knowing when things are meant to be enjoyable and when it’s time to be the anchor for the team.

Early on, the team has developed both strengths and weaknesses, Douglas recognized. Because of the team’s good start Douglas isn’t hitting the panic button but she understands where the team can build from.

“This year it doesn’t matter who’s on the field, everybody’s playing together, every goal is scored by a different person,” Douglas said. “This makes it hard for defenses to

defend us because everyone’s a threat to score offensively. In the past we’ve had strong offensive players who’ve dominated scoring but now it’s exciting to see numerous players make an impact.”

“Although offense has been a strength we do need to do a better job of finishing plays,” Douglas said.

Douglas also feels that she needs to do a better job of maintaining poise throughout the game. She understands that her energy and emotions are infectious so it’s important for her to stay even keeled.

As for standout players so far this season, Douglas mentioned a handful.

“Jess Smithson has been good. I feel confident in her abilities this season with her speed and ability to recover. Peyton Richardson has been another standout player for us and captains Hailey Lassen and Amelia WIlson have created a ton of scoring opportunities for us along with their leadership,” Douglas said.

Sophomore Emily Downing has had a fabulous start to the year as she consistently worked all summer, coming into camp in peak fitness level. Downing has also been doing a stellar job of putting in work after practice. She’s got a hunger to be better each and every day, which Douglas said has impressed her.