BC Field Hockey Preview: Part I

With the end of summer comes many things. Students are returning to campus, the bookstore is making a killing, and the gridiron Eagles are getting ready to #SOAR. But while the bright lights are turned to Addazio's dudes, there are plenty of other teams preparing to take on their 2015 schedule. One of the lesser known yet successful squads is the field hockey team. The squad is coming off back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances while playing in the most brutal conference for field hockey and is hungry for more. Most people are not familiar with this team, so let's get you familiar with the 2015 BC field hockey squad.

The Coach

Coach Kelly Doton is ready. After learning from the best for the last decade, the first year head coach is ready to pick up where her predecessor left off. Doton first joined the Eagles in 2012 after a successful stint coaching at Indiana. The Greenfield, Massachusetts native played college ball at Wake Forest and picked up two national championship rings. The 2004 graduate continued her playing career by playing for the US National Team, which included a trip to the 2008 Olympics. Her resume is stacked for a first year head coach, but she has big shoes to fill following fan favorite Ainslee Lamb. For the last ten seasons, Lamb lead the Eagles to a winning record in every single season and four trips to the NCAA tournament before moving on to other opportunities. I got the chance to interview Doton this past April, and she talked at length about how much she had learned from her mentor and how grateful she was for the chances that she had been given. Coach Lamb had talked about having Doton take over one day, and it makes sense with her being the associate head coach since 2012. Coach Lamb built up the program, and now she's handed over the keys to someone who can continue that growth.

The Captains

Kelcie Hromisin: The senior forward from PA is a leader by example on the field and off the field. Last season she scored 9 goals, appeared in every game, and was named to the 2014 All-ACC Academic Team as well as the National Academic Squad. Hromisin is a legitimate offensive threat and had a shooting percentage of .225, which was third on the team.

AshLeigh Sebia: Another forward, Sebia is key in setting up plays. She was second on the team in assists with 7, despite missing 2 games due to injury. While she racked up the assists, she struggled to find the back of the net herself, however, with only one goal. After scoring 4 goals her freshman year and 7 her sophomore, she will no doubt be hungry to convert more chances this season.

Romée Stiekema: If you're only going to score 1 goal in a season, it helps to make it count. The senior from the Netherlands recorded her first goal and helped the Eagles earn #OrangeEagle points when she scored in overtime against #4 Syracuse to give the team a 3-2 win. She may not lead the team in goals or assists, but Stiekema is a key part of the midfield and is going to play a critical role on the field this season.

The Twins

Possibly the most talented players on this 2015 squad are a set of twins, Emily and Eryn McCoy. The juniors from Lancaster, PA combined for 20 goals and 8 assists last season. Emily plays in the midfield and had a wicked .238 shooting percentage last season. She was named to the Second Team All-Northeast region list for her accomplishments. Meanwhile, Eryn plays in a more attacking forward role and had 25 points last season to lead the team. She too has also picked up quite a few accolades, including also being named to the Second Team All-Northeast region list. Be sure to pay attention to #6 in the midfield and #13 up top this season.

The Goalie

Whether it's soccer, ice hockey, or field hockey, having a good goalie is essential to success. A good goalie can make your team more confident and keep the crowd buzzing from save after save, and a bad one can completely suck the life out of a game with careless mistakes. Luckily, the 2015 Eagles team has a star goalie in Leah Settipane. So far she has yet to miss a game during her time as an Eagle, and the senior is already in the record books in numerous categories. Her 1.84 goals against average puts her sixth all time at Boston College, and she lead the ACC last year in saves with 117. The Rhode Island native has one more year to be the rock for the Eagles, and she will do doubt be a crucial part to the 2015 season.

The Rocks

These players are absolutely essential to the team and are going to play a huge role, but did not fit into the earlier categories.

Brittany Sheenan: The forward from PA was having a great season last year. She played in the first 11 games and started 7 of them as a sophomore. She was a crucial piece to the team with 7 goals scored and 3 of them being game winners. Unfortunately, during the loss to Wake Forest, she suffered a knee injury and missed the last 9 games of the season. Sheenan looks to be ready to go this season, so look for her to have a strong junior season.

Jacqueline Kelleher: The Eagles are losing a lot of the backline from last season, but Kelleher is back and ready for a big senior season. Last year she started in every game and is no doubt going to be crucial this season. Her biggest moment last year came in the win against eventual champion UCONN, when she made a crucial defensive save. But her most impressive moves may actually be off the field, as the senior economics major was given the Athletic Director's Award for Academic Excellence last season.

Chelcie Mendonça: Last season's super sub is looking to make a bigger impact this season. In 20 games last year as a freshman, she started in 4 games and was quick to come off the bench in the 16 others. This year Chelcie Mendonça should play a prominent role in the midfield.

Leah Frome: Not all of the Eagles' best forwards are from the Northeast! Frome, a goal scoring threat from Canada, scored 5 goals last year, including a dramatic goal against UNC to send the game into overtime. This year she will be a junior and is looking to play an even bigger role on the team.

The Freshmen

As is the nature of college sports, every year a group of accomplished student-athletes leave and a new crop comes up, ready to make their mark. This year, Boston College has a big freshman group, with seven new players.

Kaitie Fink: This explosive freshman was a four year player at Governor Mifflin Senior High School and a three-time all state player. Outside of her high school team, she was a part of the USA Field Hockey Futures program in 2011 and 2012 and played club hockey for High Styx, where she played in both the midfield and as a forward.

Lucy Lytle: The Illinois native joins the squad after four successful years at the Deerfield Academy. The midfielder started out her career as a forward before switching to midfield in her junior year. The move paid off because the last two years she was named a New England Preparatory School Athletic Council All-Star as well as being named the Deerfield team MVP in 2014. Lytle played a crucial role on her prep team, and she will no doubt look to make an impact during her four years in the heights.

Elizabeth Dennehy: What's better then getting a good recruit? Getting one who was already instructed by an Eagle. Dennehy was coached in high school by Kim Desto, who previously played for Boston College, at Weston High School. While in high school, Dennehy was a standout with 81 goals and 49 assists during her four years. Twice she was named a NFHCA All-American and was named to the "National 10 players to watch list in 2014" by Max Field Hockey.

Carly Kauffman: Another midfielder, Kauffman had a prolific career at Oley Valley High School in Pennsylvania. She was a three time all-state player and was a team captain her senior year. For the last few years she has played for the prolific XCaliber Field Hockey Club under coach Brian Hope. On top of that, Kauffman has a bit of international experience from playing with the Under-19 Junior National Indoor Team on a tour of Germany last year.

Ymke Rose Gote: Our team gets a bit of an international flavor with Gote from the Netherlands. Previously she played for the club team, Pinoke, where she had been for over a decade. She last played for coach Bjorn van der Dussen at the U19 level. While playing at the U17 level she captained the team for two years and won two Dutch National Championships. She's been a winner at multiple stages of her career, so hopefully that translates to her time with the Eagles.

Frederique Haverhals: Joining Gote is Frederique Haverhals, another player from the Netherlands. During her time in The Netherlands she played club field hockey for Hoc Gazellen Combinatie. She is a versatile player who plays in both the midfield and on the backline. Throughout her pre-BC days she played on squads above her age level and was successful in helping her club win the outdoor championship in 2013-2014.

Kayla Forrey: Last but not least is Kayla Forrey. The midfielder played her high school ball at Donegal High School in Pennsylvania. She split her time between field hockey, softball, and track and field and excelled in all three sports. During her high school career she scored 32 goals and had 10 assists as well as being named first team all-state in her Junior year.

And that wraps up part 1 of our season preview for Field Hockey. Their season opener is this Friday against Providence at home. Part 2 coming later this week will preview the team's schedule.