The University of Mary Washington field hockey team excelled once again in 2006, winning 12 games and remaining one of the top teams in the Capital Athletic Conference and the Atlantic-South Region among NCAA Division III programs. Featuring a lineup comprising six new starters, the Eagles used a team concept to capture its ninth winning season in the past 10 years.
The Eagles opened the season at nationally ranked Lebanon Valley College, and dropped a 2-0 decision, despite 20 saves in goal from senior Katherine Brown. UMW rebounded with Capital Athletic Conference wins over Goucher College (5-0) and York College of Pennsylvania (1-0), the first of five overtime games the Eagles would win without a defeat in extra time all season. After falling to St. Mary’s College, 1-0, Head Coach Dana Hall’s squad reeled off six straight wins, four of which were won in overtime.
The Eagles opened the streak with a 2-1 overtime win over Washington College, with sophomore Sarah Pierson scoring both Eagle goals, including a penalty stroke for the game winner. The Eagles then downed Franklin & Marshall, 2-1, in overtime, with Meredith Marconi scoring perhaps the goal of the year with a diving redirect of a Jena Elliott pass. For the third straight game, UMW won in overtime with its 2-1 win at Bridgewater College. Alison Weckstein scored the game winner in that contest.
After a 5-2 win at Roanoke College, the Eagles hosted 18th-ranked Catholic University. The team overcame an early 1-0 deficit with goals by Elliott and Sarah Healy to top the Cardinals, with Healy’s overtime penalty stroke providing the difference. The Eagles then defeated Villa Julie College, 2-0, in their first-ever meeting as CAC opponents. A season-high three-game losing skid followed, with losses to #18 Christopher Newport University, Washington & Lee University, and Lynchburg College.
The team responded by winning three of four to close the regular season, which included wins over Dickinson College (3-0), Sweet Briar College (8-0), and Randolph-Macon College (7-5). UMW hosted York College in the CAC Tournament First Round and reeled off four goals by four different players in a 4-1 victory. The Eagles traveled to top-seeded Catholic in the semifinals, but fell, 2-1, with the game-winning goal coming in the final three minutes.
Rather than relying on one goal scorer, UMW used a balanced attack, shuffling six different forwards who all contributed toward the team’s 47 goals on the season. Senior Jena Elliott scored a teamhigh eight goals and added two assists, and sophomore Alison Weckstein added seven goals and four assists to tie for the team lead of 18 points. Sophomores Amy Santella and Sarah Pierson each contributed 12 points, and senior defender Lauren Allen added 10 points, primarily on penalty corners.
Meredith Marconi, who netted the game winner at Franklin & Marshall on a diving deflection, was limited in the second half of the season due to injury, but her return to full speed in 2007 provides even more excitement for the offense. Allen, as well as freshman defender Jaci Marshall, were named to the AllCAC first team, while Weckstein was named to the league’s second team. Marshall and Allen also were named to the NFHCA All-Atlantic South region team, with Marshall claiming first team honors as well as a place on the national all-freshman team as announced by womensfieldhockey.com.