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Coming off two trips to Virginia Beach, the Penn State field hockey team is looking forward to hosting Maryland at home this weekend. "We took a big step from week one to week two," says head coach Char Morett-Curtiss.
The Nittany Lions' play was more organized and strong possession gave them confidence going into a shootout against Northwestern. After an emotional win over the Wildcats, Penn State struggled offensively against Iowa, falling 1-0.
This week, the team is energized and excited to be playing at home. Amidst the excitement, Morett-Curtiss wants the team to play smart and focus on doing the simple things against Maryland. "I think for us making some adjustments today at practice and this week if we can generate our attack the way we really did in the Northwestern game and even the first Iowa game, I think we'll be in a good position to compete for the W"
Morett-Curtiss has seen a lot of growth from Brie Barraco, as she has become more confident in her decision making, an important aspect of the goalkeeping position. "It's been great to see her have a good start to the year and also continue to grow each weekend."
With numerous younger players in the line-up, head coach Char Morett-Curtiss sees a bit of inconsistency as they adjust to playing alongside veteran players. "They've had some really good moments and then they've had some learning moments."
The upperclassmen are very supportive of their younger teammates, as they continue to guide them through their decision-making during games. Morett-Curtiss sees a lot of potential from the juniors on the team as well, and she wants them to be more consistent and dynamic.
Char had a lot of fun recruiting junior Anna Simon. After a quick verbal commitment, she looked for Anna to be a strong and steady defender for the Nittany Lions. As an international student-athlete from Germany, Simon has had to adjust to American style field hockey. During the 2019 season, she was moved to a midfield position, where she came into her own.
Morett-Curtiss continues to be impressed by Simon's increased game knowledge, field presence, and fierce competitive spirit. "She was one of our best players this past Sunday because I thought she did a really good job offensively and defensively, and she's really starting to become the glue between the backs and the forwards and the mids so she plays a very pivotal role for us."
Simon also believes the first two weekends of competition were very crucial, and helped the team understand what needs to be improved moving forward. "Even though the games against Iowa didn't turn out as we hoped they would, I think we've learned a lot."
She has been impressed by the younger players' ability to come in and adapt to this season's challenges. "I'm so proud of them," says Simon.
Anna is a Public Relations major and is also earning a business certificate from the Smeal College of Business. She never thought that she wanted to pursue a career in athletics, but the older she gets the more she has realized that she may want to remain in the sports world, with no specific post-graduation plans yet.
