Boston College Athletics
Field Hockey Gears Up For Season Opener
August 28, 2003 | Field Hockey
Aug. 28, 2003
One scrimmage. Two weeks of practice. Eight days of two-a-day sessions. 15 days later, and the field hockey season will officially open with a neutral-site contest against Northwestern (at New Hampshire).
Senior co-captain Virginia Drozd (Richmond, Va.) and the rest of her Eagle teammates couldn't be happier to get the season underway. With hopes of a BIG EAST championship (on the Alumni Stadium turf) and trip to the Final Four (down the road at University of Massachusetts), BC is eager to start the quest.
Drozd took a moment from her preseason schedule and class preparations to share her feelings about the upcoming season, the team's goals, and the preseason that is finally done.
Q: How as practice gone so far?
Drozd: It's gone really well. Preseason is finally over. We went through two-a-days for about a week and it was actually fun. We got things accomplished and we got them done quickly. We're ready to play.
Q: What is the team feeling after having a scrimmage (Wednesday vs. Dartmouth) under its belt?
Drozd: It was nice to finally play against someone other than ourselves. It was good to get some live play under our belts. We've put in a lot of new things this year and the scrimmage gave us a chance to do some of those things before we step onto the field for our first regular-season game. That was big for us. It really helped us build some confidence.
Q: We're you pleased with the effort in the scrimmage?
Drozd: Yes, we were pleased. We played well. Our defense looked really solid and our offense scored two goals.
Q: How does the team feel going into Saturday's season-opener?
Drozd: We feel really good. We're very excited. It's our first game and we're excited because we have big expectations for this team.
Q: What are some of those team expectations for the season?
Drozd: We are looking for a BIG EAST championship. We let it slip away from us last year and we don't want it to happen again. With two fifth-year seniors, we're looking to win the BIG EAST and take it to the Final Four, which is at UMass this year.
Q: What does it mean to have so many veterans on this year's team?
Drozd: A goal of ours was for everyone to come into the preseason in their very best shape. We all did, for the most part. Everyone is competing against each other. It's tough because, with such a deep bench, everyone is fighting each other every day. Having eight sophomores (who had some experience last year as freshmen) is huge for us. (Lauren) Hill has been in the cage for three years. We have such an experienced team with a game sense that was just coming together last year. It's definitely strong now.
Q: How have the newcomers handled the preseason?
Drozd: We have four new freshmen who have been playing well. They are adding a spark to the team. They all add a lot of things from a lot of positions.
Q: What is the team expecting at the beginning of the season?
Drozd: The beginning of the season is, by far, our toughest stretch. We're playing some tough teams all in the first two weeks. We're going to open up and take one game at a time. We're not going to overlook any game and we're going to play them all like they're the BIG EAST Championship and the Final Four.
