Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Eagles Enter 2020 With Eyes On ACC Prize
September 28, 2020 | Field Hockey, #ForBoston Files
The Final Four team is back and ready to attack a seven-game, league-only slate.
The story of the 2020 Boston College field hockey season should have been about the Eagles' plans for an encore performance. It should have recapped last season's Final Four run and bridged the program into a new chapter centered on the team's elevated status within the nation's most elite conference. It would have been about meeting objectives and level resetting, something every coach does during offseason breakdowns.
Instead, I don't think I asked head coach Kelly Doton a single question about last season until halfway through our talk about the 2020 season. Such is life in a world where nobody was even sure a season would happen, where the thought of doing something as ordinary as playing a college field hockey game seemed like such an accomplishment.
On Sunday, though, that's exactly what will happen when Boston College heads to Louisville to start its 2020 season.
"It's just been a really different year," Doton said. "I think the world is in a place where there's a lot of doubt and stress. There's so much anxiety. One of the fortunate things we have is that field hockey can be that outlet (for the players and staff).
"I think they're excited just to compete in the ACC," she said. "They know the rivalries and understand how hard the games are. They can win an ACC championship, and 100 times out of 100, they'll take the seven games. With the university, we feel so fortunate that we're even playing, but certainly with the ACC, we're fortunate that we will have our games and our (conference) championship."
For BC, even getting on the field feels like an accomplishment after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out both the spring offseason training session and the early preseason. The Eagles didn't step on the field until they arrived back on campus, a difference from some of their conference opponents.
"We utilize our winter and spring for technical development for returning players," Doton said. "That was cut short, so the growth of the players right now was impacted, for sure. In our first meeting, we recognized that we were the only ACC school without a preseason. We came back when classes started, which was four to six weeks behind some of the other programs. They had that ability to practice and have fitness, and we were playing catchup.
"That said, there are no excuses," she reiterated. "We have to put in the work, and we're going to be ready physically and mentally on October 4. We don't mind being the underdog, but we know that we play in a really tough conference. One of our principles for our culture is hard work. We know we have to put in the work, even though we don't have that same preseason."
That will include a slight revamp of a roster featuring one of the best attacks and one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. The team averaged the second most goals in the conference last year behind only North Carolina, and Margo Carlin finished the season as one of only two players in the ACC with 20 goals scored. She returns for her sophomore season this year and will play next to Fusine Govaert, a senior who had eight goals last season as one of the leading shooters in the league. In total, more than 70 percent of the team's scoring returns from last season, and five of its top six scorers are back, including Sky Caron, Jaime Natale, and Elizabeth Warner.
That revamp, though, will be felt most in the back of a defense that helped the team to four straight games without a goal in last October and a later stretch of three consecutive shutouts that lasted into the ACC Tournament. Kate Pianko and Emily Buttinger are gone, and the result is a shifted look that will incorporate new, younger players throughout the midfield.
It will all play in front of a goal that will be without Sarah Dwyer after last year's resurgence. The graduated senior averaged 1.01 goals against in conference play and was regarded for heroic play in the postseason especially. In her stead will be Jonna Kennedy, an incredibly capable goalkeeper who started last season before Dwyer stormed to the forefront.
"We're reminding the returners of defensive concepts and principles," Doton said. "In field hockey, in general, it's easiest when we have the ball and are on the attack because it's more free-flowing and creative to find 2-v-1's and work it out. A lot of the incoming freshmen have never played a team defense the way that we play it. There's a lot of film and answering questions, and there are going to be mistakes and failures. When success does come, though, it will be exciting as a coach."
Ordinarily, the team's youth, with seven freshmen and seven sophomores, would have been a concern, but field hockey is instead an outlet drawing the roster closer together. The practices feel more dedicated and competitive, a product of the stringent protocols placed on the athletes as part of the BC athletics program.
"I think the world is in a place where there's a lot of doubt and stress," Doton said. "There's so much anxiety. One of the fortunate things we have is that field hockey can be that outlet. The freshmen didn't have a preseason, but they don't know any better that they don't know about two weeks of double practices or one-on-one stuff. It's up to them to get caught up, and the returners are making sure they're leading. We have to look at those obstacles as (opportunities)."
It's all part of a season covered in uncertainty. In late August, the NCAA postponed all of its fall championships until the spring after a number of conferences opted out from playing. The ACC soldiered forward with its health protocols, but the lack of games scrapped the schedule in its entirety. A reconfigured slate emerged in September with seven games, the first of which kicks off Saturday against Louisville, a team BC eliminated in the NCAA Tournament.
From there, the Eagles will play their first four games on the road. They will head to Syracuse for two games on October 10 and 11 before playing Duke on October 16. That will lead to the last three games of the season at Newton Campus's Field Hockey Complex against Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest.Â
"Seven is better than none, right off the bat," Doton said. "Of course, we want to have more, but you can say that about any situation in life. I'm focused on getting everyone in the present and not looking forward. We want to get better each day and not just look at the first game. They know what's on the schedule, but we have to show up and get better at every single practice.
"I didn't necessarily want to be on the road for the first four games, but getting out of campus, where everyone has been, will be a breath of fresh air," Doton said. "We love playing there, and Louisville is a great team. It's going to be competitive against a team that's had preparation. Finishing at home is good. I love getting North Carolina at home. Whether we're home or away, though, it's our job to show up, to prepare, and to show everyone how we play. Where we finished last year, we're going to be competitive and play hard, and hopefully the scoreboard shows it."
BC will play Louisville on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ACC Network.
Instead, I don't think I asked head coach Kelly Doton a single question about last season until halfway through our talk about the 2020 season. Such is life in a world where nobody was even sure a season would happen, where the thought of doing something as ordinary as playing a college field hockey game seemed like such an accomplishment.
On Sunday, though, that's exactly what will happen when Boston College heads to Louisville to start its 2020 season.
"It's just been a really different year," Doton said. "I think the world is in a place where there's a lot of doubt and stress. There's so much anxiety. One of the fortunate things we have is that field hockey can be that outlet (for the players and staff).
"I think they're excited just to compete in the ACC," she said. "They know the rivalries and understand how hard the games are. They can win an ACC championship, and 100 times out of 100, they'll take the seven games. With the university, we feel so fortunate that we're even playing, but certainly with the ACC, we're fortunate that we will have our games and our (conference) championship."
For BC, even getting on the field feels like an accomplishment after the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out both the spring offseason training session and the early preseason. The Eagles didn't step on the field until they arrived back on campus, a difference from some of their conference opponents.
"We utilize our winter and spring for technical development for returning players," Doton said. "That was cut short, so the growth of the players right now was impacted, for sure. In our first meeting, we recognized that we were the only ACC school without a preseason. We came back when classes started, which was four to six weeks behind some of the other programs. They had that ability to practice and have fitness, and we were playing catchup.
"That said, there are no excuses," she reiterated. "We have to put in the work, and we're going to be ready physically and mentally on October 4. We don't mind being the underdog, but we know that we play in a really tough conference. One of our principles for our culture is hard work. We know we have to put in the work, even though we don't have that same preseason."
That will include a slight revamp of a roster featuring one of the best attacks and one of the most prolific scorers in the nation. The team averaged the second most goals in the conference last year behind only North Carolina, and Margo Carlin finished the season as one of only two players in the ACC with 20 goals scored. She returns for her sophomore season this year and will play next to Fusine Govaert, a senior who had eight goals last season as one of the leading shooters in the league. In total, more than 70 percent of the team's scoring returns from last season, and five of its top six scorers are back, including Sky Caron, Jaime Natale, and Elizabeth Warner.
That revamp, though, will be felt most in the back of a defense that helped the team to four straight games without a goal in last October and a later stretch of three consecutive shutouts that lasted into the ACC Tournament. Kate Pianko and Emily Buttinger are gone, and the result is a shifted look that will incorporate new, younger players throughout the midfield.
It will all play in front of a goal that will be without Sarah Dwyer after last year's resurgence. The graduated senior averaged 1.01 goals against in conference play and was regarded for heroic play in the postseason especially. In her stead will be Jonna Kennedy, an incredibly capable goalkeeper who started last season before Dwyer stormed to the forefront.
"We're reminding the returners of defensive concepts and principles," Doton said. "In field hockey, in general, it's easiest when we have the ball and are on the attack because it's more free-flowing and creative to find 2-v-1's and work it out. A lot of the incoming freshmen have never played a team defense the way that we play it. There's a lot of film and answering questions, and there are going to be mistakes and failures. When success does come, though, it will be exciting as a coach."
Ordinarily, the team's youth, with seven freshmen and seven sophomores, would have been a concern, but field hockey is instead an outlet drawing the roster closer together. The practices feel more dedicated and competitive, a product of the stringent protocols placed on the athletes as part of the BC athletics program.
"I think the world is in a place where there's a lot of doubt and stress," Doton said. "There's so much anxiety. One of the fortunate things we have is that field hockey can be that outlet. The freshmen didn't have a preseason, but they don't know any better that they don't know about two weeks of double practices or one-on-one stuff. It's up to them to get caught up, and the returners are making sure they're leading. We have to look at those obstacles as (opportunities)."
It's all part of a season covered in uncertainty. In late August, the NCAA postponed all of its fall championships until the spring after a number of conferences opted out from playing. The ACC soldiered forward with its health protocols, but the lack of games scrapped the schedule in its entirety. A reconfigured slate emerged in September with seven games, the first of which kicks off Saturday against Louisville, a team BC eliminated in the NCAA Tournament.
From there, the Eagles will play their first four games on the road. They will head to Syracuse for two games on October 10 and 11 before playing Duke on October 16. That will lead to the last three games of the season at Newton Campus's Field Hockey Complex against Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest.Â
"Seven is better than none, right off the bat," Doton said. "Of course, we want to have more, but you can say that about any situation in life. I'm focused on getting everyone in the present and not looking forward. We want to get better each day and not just look at the first game. They know what's on the schedule, but we have to show up and get better at every single practice.
"I didn't necessarily want to be on the road for the first four games, but getting out of campus, where everyone has been, will be a breath of fresh air," Doton said. "We love playing there, and Louisville is a great team. It's going to be competitive against a team that's had preparation. Finishing at home is good. I love getting North Carolina at home. Whether we're home or away, though, it's our job to show up, to prepare, and to show everyone how we play. Where we finished last year, we're going to be competitive and play hard, and hopefully the scoreboard shows it."
BC will play Louisville on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ACC Network.
Players Mentioned
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GK
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F
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