Temple University Athletics
Experience and Lessons Learned to Guide Owls
8.13.99 | Field Hockey
"Last season we did not really have a go to type player," Fuchs said. "Nobody really wanted to take the shot. This year we focused on attack type drills and gained a lot of confidence in passing and taking the ball to the goal." The lack of scoring was evident in the record low 21 goals scored last season as the Owls struggled to a 4-16 record. However, with eight starters and the total of 15 letterwinners returning, the Cherry and White is poised to turn last year's misfortunes into this year's fortunes. On attack the Owls return a number of key components including the team's first and second leading point scorers on offense, seniors Jill Polmateer and Torie Russell. Polmateer had 11 points last season on four goals and three assists, while Russell, who showed added confidence in the spring, added five goals for 10 points. Sophomore Jessica Grisafi along with Juliann Leskiw, and juniors Laura Bergey and Jessica Jaworski now have a season under their belts. Jaworski joined the Owls midway through the season and broke into the starting lineup in the last two games. Bergey's season ended abruptly with a broken jaw after game 10, and Leskiw proved to be a tough player with a nose for the ball. While the attack will be looked to pressure the goal, it will also be looked upon to create on the defensive end. Fuchs has focused on the midfield in the spring drills to make the most drastic change from last season. The middies, led by senior Steph Buchen, will be counted upon to "take the shot," according to Fuchs. Buchen, who will be asked to play both sides of the ball, leads another relatively young group consisting of freshman Emily Moyer, sophomores Tanya Beam and Kara Lukens, and junior Kacy Ziomek. Beam proved to be very solid skill wise and created a number of opportunities last season. Combined, the attack and midfield have only three players with more than one season of collegiate field hockey experience. " I think we may surprise a few teams with our improvement," Fuchs said. "The Spring drills really helped us become more of a cohesive unit." The strongest aspect of the 1999 Owls will be defense. Fuchs returns her most experienced crew led by senior Heather Walker. Walker, along with Polmateer, led the Owls with 11 points. Together with Michelle Murawski, who is the other spark on defense, the Owls should be able to pressure the ball very effectively. Virginia Gonzalez, who redshirted last season, had a strong spring and together with newcomer Erica Foltz, should provide Temple with a strong defensive force. The first weekend of the season, Sept. 4-5, will be the biggest test for Temple which faces Syracuse and Ball State in the Syracuse Tournament. The next weekend the Owls host the annual Temple Invitational with North Carolina, Louisville and Michigan State. In addition, perennial powers Delaware, Penn State, Stanford, Duke and last season's national champion Old Dominion appear on Temple's slate. A strong finish will be imperative for the Owls who complete the season with three straight Atlantic 10 contests. Only the top four teams of the six team Atlantic 10 Conference make the Tournament. "Last year we proved to be too inconsistent," Fuchs said. "This year I will look for different people to step up at different times and be more aggressive through the increased confidence we gained from last season and this spring." 
(August 13, 1999) -- School was in session for the Owls last season on the field hockey turf. Though on the losing end of a number of contests, the young Owls learned many lessons that they will apply this season. Head Coach Lauren Fuchs has already seen the improvement in the Spring drills. 
The last line of defense will once again be up for grabs as Serene McGrath and April Herman compete for the starting goal tender spot. With each bringing different skills to the table, it will be a tough game time decision for Fuchs to make. McGrath started 18 games last season and yielded 3.84 goals per game, while leading Temple to shutouts against Michigan State and La Salle. Her 217 saves were ranked third in the nation. Herman, who saw action in 10 games while starting two contests, led the Owls to a victory over Rhode Island.
