Senior back Kristen Focht scored the second goal of her collegiate career Oct. 4 during Drexel’s 6-1 victory over Dartmouth College at Vidas Field.

The Drexel field hockey team saw its season come to an end Nov. 8 against Northeastern University in the semifinal round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. After an exciting season, the second-seeded Dragons took on the third-seeded Huskies and fell by a score of 2-0.

It was 0-0 heading into halftime. Northeastern tacked on two goals in the second half to take the 2-0 win to head to the CAA final, where they lost to the University of Delaware.

“Postseason is always competitive,” senior co-captain Lindsay McArdle said. “We had a strong first half, but Northeastern had a strong push in the second and took advantage of their opportunities. It was a hard-fought game for both teams, and we just didn’t put it away when we had our chances.”

The Dragons end the 2013 season with a 13-7 overall record and a 4-2 conference record.

“Despite us not getting the result we wanted last weekend, we still had an impressive run this season,” McArdle said.

McArdle was one of five players to be selected to the All-Conference team, which was voted by the CAA head coaches. She was joined by junior goalie Jantien Gunter and sophomore back Lauren Hibshman, who also received First-Team All-CAA honors. Junior midfielder Christina Conrad was named Second Team All-CAA, while freshman midfielder Jessica McCarthy earned a spot on the All-Rookie team. Senior co-captain Kristen Focht was named to the conference’s All-Academic Team.

“From the beginning of our season until now, we have improved greatly as a team,” McArdle said. “We can reflect on our wins and our losses, but one thing that we will carry with us from this season and for the rest of our lives are the memories we made along the way.”

Drexel will now go into the offseason and try to figure out who will fill the shoes of the three graduating seniors: McArdle, Focht and Elise DiDonato.

It seems as though none of the graduating seniors are too worried about the future of the program they are leaving behind.

“The Dragons will not waste any time getting ready for the 2014 season,” McArdle said. “This program has done nothing but improve over the last couple of years, so what’s next for the Dragons? I would expect to see big things coming from Drexel field hockey in the future.”

This is the second consecutive year the Dragons have made the CAA playoffs. After a long season of battling in every game, Drexel will now look to improve and carry the program’s success forward.

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Sophomore Lauren Hibshman approaches the ball during a game at Vidas Field. The midfielder has seven assists while starting all 19 games for the Dragons this season.

The Drexel field hockey team found itself in a familiar position Nov. 3. After a tough loss Nov. 1 to their archrival, the University of Delaware, the Dragons needed to bounce back and get a win.

Drexel’s hope for another Colonial Athletic Association Tournament at Vidas Field was gone after a 4-0 loss to the Blue Hens, but a win over Towson University Nov. 3 would give the Dragons the No. 2 seed in the conference.

It marked the final home game of the season for Drexel and would be the last game at Vidas Field for seniors Lindsay McArdle, Elise DiDonato and Kristen Focht. The Dragons jumped out to a 3-0 lead at halftime thanks to two goals from McArdle.

Danielle Grassi would add another goal in the second half to give Drexel a 4-0 win over the Tigers.

“Towson was our Senior Day, and the team came out strong and excited to finish our regular season with a win,” Focht said. “It was a good team win for us and great to get back on track.”

Just a couple days earlier, the highly-anticipated matchup between Drexel and 19th-ranked Delaware was to determine who would receive home-field advantage in the CAA Tournament.

The game was looking to be a barnburner as Delaware took a 1-0 lead heading into halftime, but the Blue Hens then exploded with three goals in the second half to complete a 4-0 shutout.

“Knowing the type of scorers they have, we gave them too many opportunities in the red zone,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “Since we know we didn’t play our best, we have high hopes that we will get to face them again at CAAs.”

In an up-and-down season, Zelenak is just glad that her team has the chance to make some noise in the postseason.

“I am proud of our squad and how we played this season. We forgot that last year was a roller coaster with similar one-goal games and last-minute wins,” Zelenak said. “[Making the] postseason is an honor, and you can never assume this is where you will be in November. You have to work for it.”

With the win over Towson, Drexel earned the No. 2 seed for the tournament hosted by Delaware, and the Dragons will take on Northeastern University in the first round. Earlier this season, the Huskies defeated Drexel 1-0 in Boston, but this time around, the Dragons hope to avenge their Oct. 11 loss.

“We are excited to play Northeastern again. It was a close game and a tough loss,” Zelenak said. “Redemption is the word I think the team would use to describe the matchup.”

If the Dragons can beat the Huskies Nov. 8, they will most likely face the Blue Hens Sunday afternoon for the CAA championship. Because only one senior graduated from last year’s CAA championship squad, many still remember what it will take to win.

“Postseason is always exciting and intense, so we just need to make sure we come out strong and willing to leave it all on the field,” Focht said.

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Sophomore Danielle Grassi moves the ball up the field during a game at Vidas Field. The midfielder has one assist on the season, which came during Drexel’s 6-1 win against Kent State University Sept. 19.

The Drexel field hockey team pulled out of the pack this past weekend with two big conference wins. The Dragons not only put themselves in position to make the postseason but also to secure home-field advantage in the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.

Before the Oct. 25 game against The College of William & Mary, Drexel was in a three-way tie for third place in the CAA.

The Dragons obtained a 3-1 victory over the Tribe, and senior co-captain Lindsay McArdle tied her career high with two goals in the game.

With fewer than six minutes remaining in the second half, Drexel earned its fifth penalty corner of the half. McArdle received the ball near the left post from Christina Conrad and lifted the ball into the top-right corner of the cage to extend Drexel’s lead to 3-1.

“We really pulled everything together for the William & Mary game. Our attack was strong and created great opportunities, and our defensive end made it tough on their attack,” McArdle said. “It was just a really fun game to play as a team.”

The Dragons then traveled to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison University Oct. 27.

The score was 0-0 at the end of regulation with the help of goalie Jantien Gunter, who made four crucial saves to send the game to overtime.

Senior co-captain Elise DiDonato found the back of the cage in the second minute of overtime, moving the Dragons to 12-5 overall and 3-1 in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Although the win was not pretty, at this point in the season, a win is a win.

“James Madison showed up ready to play and gave us a good game on Sunday,” McArdle said. “We pulled out the overtime win, and we are going to take it and move forward to [the University of] Delaware and Towson [University].”

The Dragons now sit in second place in the conference, behind a Delaware team that is undefeated in the CAA and ranked No. 19 in the country.

“Right now, we are making sure we take care of our bodies and prepare for our last regular-season games mentally,” McArdle said. “We have learned a lot this season, and right now is the time that we need to bring it all together come game time.”

With only two games left, the Dragons need to win at least one more to clinch a playoff spot. If Drexel can win the next two games, they will be tied with one loss in the CAA with Delaware and will have home-field advantage in the CAA Tournament.

Drexel will take on the Blue Hens Friday night, Nov. 1, at Vidas Field. If history repeats itself, it should be the most exciting game of the year.

“I am really excited to face Delaware on Friday night. Last year we beat them in the semifinals with 4.9 seconds left, so this game is going to be a battle,” McArdle said.

The Dragons will then play Towson at home on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 3. Depending on the outcome of the Delaware game, Sunday’s match could be the most crucial game of the season for Drexel.

The team’s three seniors will be playing the last two regular-season games of their careers. DiDonato, McArdle and Kristen Focht all understand how important these games are.

“The last stretch of regular season is really hitting home for the three of us,” McArdle said. “We realize that we are getting to play our last field hockey games as Dragons, and we are just savoring each moment.”

The Dragons have been battling all year to put themselves in this position. Come Friday night, the Dragons will face off against one of their biggest rivals for the top spot in the CAA — what more would you want out of a prime-time game?

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Junior Allyson Fuller reaches to break up a rush by Temple freshman forward Katie Foran during Drexel’s 1-0 loss to the Owls Oct. 20. The defender played all 70 minutes in the game and recorded two defensive saves. Fuller has one assist this season, which came during the team’s 2-1 win over Saint Joseph’s University Sept. 6.

The Drexel field hockey team is coming off an Oct. 20 loss against rival Temple University. The Dragons fell to the Owls 1-0 in a very defensive game. Both teams were scoreless at halftime until Temple converted on a penalty stroke awarded in the 44th minute of the contest.

Junior goalie Jantien Gunter had a six-save night for the Dragons, but the one that got past her ended up as the difference. Gunter has held 12 teams to one goal or fewer this season and was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week.

“We had been looking forward to this game since the beginning of the season. We knew Temple would come out strong, which they did,” she said. “Unfortunately, we got a stroke called against us that gave Temple the lead, and somehow we couldn’t get on the board.”

Drexel is coming down to its final four games of the regular season and is currently in a three-way tie for third in the CAA. At the end of the regular season, the top four teams will make the CAA Tournament bracket.

“It’s a very different season for us. We have 10 different players scoring and seven of those with three or more goals,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “We have high hopes that they will be confident in their abilities to finish, and we have players who want to ball when everything is on the line.”

So far this season, we have seen a Drexel team that has scored six goals in a game twice, but we have also seen a Dragons team that has been shut out in three of the last five games.

“We definitely have had some difficulty scoring these last few games, but we are working hard on that during practice,” Gunter said. “We are a team that doesn’t give up until the last whistle, so I’m convinced that everything will start to click in time for us to make the CAA tournament.”

Drexel will take on two conference opponents this weekend. First up is The College of William & Mary Oct. 25 at Vidas Field. Then the Dragons will make the journey to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison University Oct. 27 for an afternoon matchup.

These games will be very important for the Dragons to make a push for the postseason.

Zelenak kept it very simple when asked what her team will need to do to be successful against William & Mary and JMU: “We need to be prepared to play as hard as we can and take advantage of all our opportunities.”

This message is trickling in the ears of the three seniors on Drexel’s roster: Kristen Focht, Elise DiDonato and Lindsay McArdle.

“Our seniors realize that these last four games in regular season could potentially be their last field hockey games as Dragons,” Gunter said. “But as a team, we will make sure that the seniors [will] have to put up with us a little longer and extend the season to CAAs and hopefully the NCAA Tournament.”

Every loss has been a stepping stone for the Dragons as they try to build off another tough defeat. The Dragons need to find a way to spring themselves into the postseason, where anything can happen.

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[media-credit name=”Ken Chaney” align=”alignleft” width=”199″] Junior Rebecca Werner looks upfield during a game at Vidas Field last year. After their 1-0 win over Lafayette College, Drexel has now recorded three shutouts this season.

The Drexel field hockey team is coming off a weekend of ups and downs against two tough conference opponents. To open the weekend, the Dragons traveled to Boston Oct. 11 to take on Northeastern University in a rematch of the 2012 Colonial Athletic Association championship game.

The Dragons put themselves in good positions to score throughout the game, but sometimes the ball just does not go into the goal.

“This was one of our best games technically,” head coach Denise Zelenak commented. “We moved the ball well and created a lot of offensive opportunities.”

Senior co-captain Elise DiDonato, junior Christina Conrad and junior Rachel Sumfest each had two shots on goal for Drexel’s offensive effort throughout the game, as the Dragons outshot the Huskies 12-8. But they were never able to find the net and ended up falling 1-0.

“Unfortunately, between their defense coming up with some key saves and us not converting on our opportunities, we were not able to get on the scoreboard Friday,” Zelenak continued.

Drexel then took on CAA rival Hofstra University. The Dragons jumped to a 2-0 lead before 10 minutes passed on the scoreboard, with both scores by Conrad. With a two-goal lead going into halftime, the Dragons understood they needed to finish when they had an opening.

“Knowing Hofstra was well rested, it was important for us to set the tempo and convert on our opportunities,” Zelenak said. “It was exciting to see the team’s strong play quickly translate onto the scoreboard and a well-earned win for our squad.”

The Dragons would score another goal to start the second half thanks to DiDonato, and they ultimately hung on for a 3-2 victory.

Next up for Drexel was Lafayette College, and the Dragons earned a hard-fought 1-0 victory against the Leopards. Junior Chloe Pachuilo scored the game-winning goal early in the second half, and junior goalie Jantien Gunter made four saves for a shutout. The Dragons outshot the Leopards 9-4 in the game.

“They give us a solid game every year, but this year we are prepared for the challenge,” senior captain Lindsay McArdle said.

The Dragons now sit with a 10-4 record, including 1-1 in conference play. Even though Drexel had a brief losing streak, each loss was a hard-fought battle all the way until the end.

“They consistently work hard and have done their best each game, which is all we ask of them,” Zelenak said. “So I guess that means we are exactly where we should be right now.”

The Dragons will play a big game against City 6 rival Temple University Oct. 20 at Vidas Field, where they hold a 5-1 record this season.

“I am looking forward to the upcoming game [against Temple]. It may not be a conference team, but they are big rivals,” Zelenak said. “This will challenge our squad as we cycle back into conference play for the four final games of regular season.”

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No. 19 Drexel begins CAA play this week against rivals Northeastern University and Hofstra University.

The Drexel field hockey team went 1-1 last weekend, and even though its six-game win streak was snapped, a loss may be more valuable in the long run.

The Dragons started the weekend with a 6-1 win over Dartmouth College at Vidas Field, and it was a total team effort, as six different players scored a goal.

“We were coming off an overtime win against Cornell from the previous Sunday, but everyone felt we could’ve played much better. We came out against Dartmouth ready to do just that,” senior co-captain Kristen Focht said. “It was a nice team win for us with a lot of teammates contributing, so it was exciting to see.”

Drexel had a day off and then faced a gritty Rutgers University team. Even though the Dragons outshot the Scarlet Knights 17-4 and drew 12 penalty corners to Rutgers’ two, they couldn’t get the job done in a 1-0 loss. Instead of dwelling on the negatives, the Dragons will focus on the positives of this game and try to improve as a team.

“Rutgers is a strong team, and we had a lot of opportunities on which we just didn’t capitalize,” Focht said. “We’re thankful we have the opportunity to learn from that game and make some adjustments before we begin conference play this weekend.”

This weekend, Drexel will take on two Colonial Athletic Association opponents. On Oct. 11, the Dragons will take on Northeastern University, which will be the first conference game of the year for Drexel and a rematch of the 2012 CAA Championship Game. Drexel will get a day off and then will be right back at it Oct. 13 against rival Hofstra University.

“Both teams always give us a good fight, so it’s important for us to play together and bring it each game,” Focht said. “We’re really excited to start playing CAA teams and keep pushing forward.”

The Dragons are ranked 19th in the most recent National Field Hockey Coaches Association rankings, but even though they have seen success so far this season, they may face their most challenging test yet.

“The season is broken into parts, and we are now approaching the most difficult part: the CAAs,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “We matched up against some strong opponents during the first half of the season, and we did our best to prepare the team for the challenge of conference play.”

Each loss serves as a learning point, and the Dragons have much bigger things on their minds than obsessing over a loss.

“We are in a good place as a team,” Zelenak said calmly. “If we continue to take one game at a time, I believe our overall goals will take care of themselves.”

With Drexel winning the 2012 CAA championship in overtime against Northeastern, you can bet there will be some revenge lurking in the Boston air when Drexel comes to town.

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] By pulling out the 2-1 victory over a scrappy Cornell team, Drexel improves their record to 7-2 while being ranked 18th nationally.

When adversity hits a team, members can either panic or thrive; the Drexel field hockey team is thriving. The Dragons did not play their best in their most recent game, but they got the job done and earned a win against a scrappy Cornell University club.

Drexel won 2-1 after senior co-captain Elise DiDonato scored the game-winning goal in double overtime off a corner from junior Meghan Plank.

“It wasn’t our prettiest performance to date; it was very choppy with many turnovers,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “I was proud of how hard we played, and because of [our] strong character and constant desire to win, we were able to leave the field with another victory.”

Freshman Jessica McCarthy scored the first goal only 1:45 into the game to give Drexel a 1-0 lead, but Cornell was able to respond with a goal in the first half to tie it up 1-1. The second half was scoreless, sending the Dragons to their first overtime game of the season.

“I am pretty confident in our players in an overtime situation,” Zelenak said. “The seven-on-seven format also gives us a lot of space to transition, which is one of our team’s strengths.”

After the first overtime ended, Drexel found itself in a tough battle. DiDonato and her teammates understood the position they were in.

“We refused to lose that game, and everyone was prepared to step up to ensure that outcome,” DiDonato said.

In the second overtime, the Dragons got a great opportunity to score when they had their sixth penalty corner of the night.

“We started the corner on the right side of the cage instead of the left, which completely threw off Cornell’s defense,” DiDonato said. “I am glad that I was given the opportunity to end it.”

After 86 minutes of play, Zelenak felt confident that the penalty corner was the right time to end this game.

“We decided to take advantage and execute from the other side, since most teams don’t practice defending this very often,” Zelenak said. “The entire exchange from Meghan Plank to Elise DiDonato was spot-on, a perfect finish for a well-fought game.”

With the win, the Dragons were able to improve to a 7-2 record on the season. Drexel is now ranked 18th in the country and will face Dartmouth College and Rutgers University this weekend.

This time the Dragons will be in the comfort zone, which is playing at home.

“We love to play in front of our family and friends at home,” Zelenak said.

Even though both Rutgers and Dartmouth have a losing record, the Dragons understand that every win matters.

“We will be prepared to execute everything this weekend,” DiDonato said. “I am also excited that both of our games are home this weekend; we love home games!”

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[media-credit name=”Ajone Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Sophomore Lauren Hibshman takes the ball up the field during Drexel’s 2-0 win over Saint Joseph’s University Sept. 6 at Vidas Field. Hibshman has one assist this season.

The Drexel field hockey team’s goal is to improve week to week, and beating a top-10 team is a good way to start.

After two losses to tough opponents in the first four games, the Dragons are currently playing with more confidence after the tough early-season schedule.

Since then, Drexel has beaten Bucknell University and Kent State University by a combined score of 8-1. After the two dominating wins, the Dragons had to take on a top-10 program in Iowa University.

The Hawkeyes were the third top-10 team that Drexel has faced so far this season, and the Dragons finally got a win against one of the big dogs.

Drexel beat Iowa 2-1 after a back-and-forth battle for much of the game.

“The team scored a beautiful field goal in transition play early in the game, putting all the pressure on the Iowa squad,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “With the stroke going wide and our team defense playing strong, we went into halftime confident and energized.”

The Dragons led 1-0 going into halftime. After the intermission, Meghan Plank scored another goal to make it a 2-0 lead for Drexel, and they held on to preserve a hard-fought 2-1 win.

“I was very proud of how well we adjusted to both our opponent and the inclement weather,” Zelenak said about her team’s big win.

Although this was a milestone win for Zelenak, she knows this is just the beginning of a long race.

“[This victory] shows us that any team can win on any given day, so we better bring it every game,” she said.

The Dragons are trying to repeat as Colonial Athletic Association champions and make it to the Final Four in the NCAA Tournament at the end of the year.

Senior co-captain Elise DiDonato sees this win as a stepping stone to Drexel’s ultimate goal.

“Each week we have been improving as a team, and our win against Iowa shows what we are capable of doing,” DiDonato said. “It is important for us to continue to improve after this win and not take any team lightly.”

Drexel followed that up with a big win against rival Rider University. The Dragons trailed early in the game but forced their way back with two unanswered goals by Plank and Jessica McCarthy. The 2-1 win improved Drexel to 6-2 on the season.

The Dragons are now rolling after the four straight victories and are ranked 18th in the country in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Coaches Poll.

The Dragons are now going to travel to Ithaca, N.Y., to take on Cornell University Sept. 29. Cornell is currently 2-3 on the season.

Zelenak isn’t looking for anything special out of the Dragons once they face off with Cornell. She is more excited for the chance to improve their play and, if they come out strong, improve their record as well.

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[media-credit name=”Ajon Brodie” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Junior Christina Conrad fights for possession during Drexel’s 2-0 victory over Saint Joseph’s University. Conrad leads the team with eight points so far this season.

In order to be the best you have to beat the best. To challenge themselves early on, the Drexel field hockey team scheduled two top-10 teams in the country in the first four games of the season. Head coach Denise Zelenak knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

“Scheduling strong teams early in the season helps our team develop to the level necessary to compete and be successful in the [Colonial Athletic Association],” Zelenak said.

To start the year, the Dragons traveled to North Carolina to take on Indiana University and Duke University. Drexel split the games, winning against Indiana 2-0 and taking a tough 4-1 loss to then-No. 10 Duke.

The Dragons then earned a 2-1 win at home against city rival Saint Joseph’s University. The following week they traveled to College Park, Md., to take on the University of Maryland, ranked No. 2 in the nation. Drexel played well early on before giving up a few second-half goals to lose 8-3.

Although Drexel did not win against Maryland or Duke, senior co-captain Lindsay McArdle understands that these games will help their team in the long run.

“It’s games like Maryland and Duke that show us important details we need to work on before heading into CAA competitions,” McArdle said.

The Dragons then kept their record perfect at home, beating Bucknell University with a score of 2-0.

Although Drexel has a record of 4-2, the beginning of the season is more about getting the team to click than the wins and losses.

“We were getting into the flow of a new team and new systems,” McArdle said. “We have new faces that have been doing a great job picking up the systems quickly.”

Zelenak has been doing this for 19 years; she doesn’t seem fazed by early losses as long as the team learned from it.

“They have the wonderful ability to take an experience, learn from it, and then work on applying it to the next practice and game,” Zelenak said, “always working to improve their skills and knowledge.”

This season for the Dragons is a marathon and not a sprint. The team has its goals in place: winning the CAA again and making it to the Final Four for the first time in school history.

“We just focus on our next practice [or] game, working to improve and be ready to play our best. The overall goal is there and keeps everyone motivated and pushing forward,” Zelenak said. “But our goal right now is our Kent State and Iowa weekend.”

The Dragons traveled to Ohio to take on Kent State University Sept. 19 and Iowa University Sept. 21. The Dragons will get to test themselves against another top-10 team, as Iowa is currently ranked No. 10 in the nation.

Drexel started off the road trip with a 6-1 win over Kent State. Chloe Pachuilo, who scored a hat trick for Drexel, led the Dragons to victory.

In the next stretch of games, McArdle wants her teammates to keep improving and leave everything on the field.

“We have a talented group of girls, and it’s invigorating to see this season coming together,” McArdle said. “I think everyone is heading in a good direction as far as skill and level of competition.

“The best part about this year so far is that we are adjusting things and we have been playing well together. It’s exciting to see us reaching for this goal together.”

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[media-credit name=”Ken Chaney” align=”alignleft” width=”300″] Senior midfielder Lindsay McArdle pushes the ball forward against the University of Delaware during Drexel’s 4-2 loss to the Blue Hens Oct. 19, 2012, at Vidas Field.

Drexel’s field hockey team won the Colonial Athletic Association championship for the first time in program history last fall. This year the team is trying to top another program record — making it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Not every team would put a task this daunting on its shoulders, but most teams are not returning almost every player from the year before.

“Our team and staff are very proud of last year’s accomplishments. With only one senior and three juniors, our young team surprised a lot of people with their overall success,” head coach Denise Zelenak said. “For us it was very exciting to watch them develop throughout the season, with the final result being CAA champions and, of course, representing at NCAAs.”

Even though the Dragons graduated only one player from last year’s championship team, you could say she was a major part of the team’s success.

That lone senior was Amanda Fleischut. She was the captain, First-Team All-CAA, Second-Team All-American and Mary Semanik co-award winner for Drexel, which is given out annually to the best female athlete at Drexel for that year.

Zelenak, who is in her 18th season as head coach, has seen great players come and go, so to her, this is just business as usual.

“Even though we lost an amazing player and teammate, with each new season the team pushes forward creating their own dynamic style, and new leaders emerge,” Zelenak said.

Some of those new leaders she will count on are senior captains Elise DiDonato, Kristen Focht and Lindsay McArdle. McArdle, who was named First-Team All-CAA last year, was also named Preseason CAA Player of the Year for this upcoming season.

In addition to these seniors, Zelenak has high hopes for some of her young returners who contributed to the Dragons’ success last year.

“We have had some breakout performances from last year’s underclassmen and have high expectations from Jantien Gunter, Christina Conrad, Ally Fuller, Lauren Hibshman and Jenna Knouse,” she said.

Hibshman, who was only a freshman last season, performed very well for the Dragons, earning Second-Team All-CAA honors.

Gunter, who is a junior and hails from the Netherlands, will have to have another stellar season as goaltender for the Dragons. She gave up one goal or fewer in 11 games, which earned her Mid-Atlantic All-Region honors.

The team is currently enduring two-a-days in the Philadelphia summer heat to get ready for its first games Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 against Indiana University and Duke University. Even though they have a lot of returners, Zelenak and her staff want to focus on a few things.

“Giving them quality scrimmage time so that we have confidence and build continuity,” Zelenak said. “Making sure we are physically and mentally ready to play back-to-back the opening weekend.”

The Dragons are working hard to improve constantly, knowing that they have a target on their backs. They were recently ranked first in the preseason CAA poll and will have many teams gunning for them this season. The team and the staff are excited knowing that some of their big games will be on their home field, where a lot of their dramatic wins came last season.

Zelenak explained, “The overall atmosphere on game day at Buckley Field is awesome. The student and local fan base has really grown each year, and, for me, it is an amazing experience having the team play in front of our engaged home crowd.”

Whether the Dragons will break more records this year is yet to be known, but no matter what, it will be an exciting season.

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