Wake Forest Field Hockey Opens the 2014 Season
8/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 14, 2014
Photo Gallery By Josh Gresh, Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeHockey)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Wake Forest field hockey team began practice on Thursday morning at Kentner Stadium in preparation for the 2014 season.
Head coach Jennifer Averill begins her 23rd season as the head coach of the Demon Deacons and will open the season on Aug. 30-31 when they compete in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C. The team is coming off a successful 2013 season, where it ended in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
"Everything was very productive today during our first practice", said coach Averill. "I was very pleased with how things flowed mechanically. One of the things we are trying to progress with coming out of the spring is systematic outletting, so we are working hard on our possession skills."
The team was divided by position into the top five, and lower five players. The experienced players had the opportunity to work with the younger players and newcomers and build the team chemistry and leadership. "It enables the veterans to really work the younger ones in and give them some direction, guidance and leadership, explained Averill.
Wake Forest returns nine starters from last season including two of the top five scorers last year in senior All-ACC honoree and 2011 ACC Freshman of the Year, Anna Kozniuk, and senior Jess Newak. Kozniuk who started all 21 games also registered nine goals and six assists. Newak started in 19 games for the Demon Deacons, tallying five goals and eight assists including two game-winners.
Christine Conroe will help lead the Deacs attack as last season she had a goal and five assists. Other returners include senior Tyra Clemmenson, juniors Krysta Wangerin, Kali Vicars and Madi Julius, 2013 Academic All-ACC sophomore Lindsay Graham, and sophomores Christine Conroe and Shannon Eby.
Valerie Dahmen will be returning in goal for the Deacs, as she played in all 21 games last season. Katie Osborne is the other goalkeeper as she made two appearances last season.
The Demon Deacons welcome five newcomers including graduate student Georgia Holland who played for Yale University in 2013. As a senior last season, she finished second on the team in scoring registering 20 total points on eight goals and four assists for the Bulldogs.
"We are mainly just trying to fine tune everything during the preseason, including our technical attributes, then piece all the tactical things together to progress as much as we can before the first game", Averill said. "We want to do it without overloading them with too much."
Wake Forest will head on the road and take on Iowa and Michigan in the ACC/Big 10 Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C. The Deacs first face Iowa on Saturday, August 30 at 1 p.m., followed by Michigan on Sunday, August 31 at 2 p.m. at Francis E. Henry Stadium.
The first home match at Kentner Stadium will take place on Thursday, September 11, as they face Northwestern at 6:30 p.m.
