Plymouth State Field Hockey: Your Guide to the Season

It’s that time of year again! Get pumped for another season of Plymouth State field hockey with your guide to the season.

Introduction

Welcome to the 2015 Plymouth State University Field Hockey season! Our Panther Field Hockey Team is raring to go and we hope you will join us for all the action. This guide will introduce you to our players, our schedule and what you can expect from the season.

We are pleased to announce that this year’s team captain is Senior Sarah Borelli. Sarah has been an outstanding player for us over the past 3 years and we know she will be a great leader for the team. Joining her as assistant captains are Junior Emily Coulombe and Sophomore Erika Michaud.

The Team

Plymouth State University’s field hockey team is a Division III team that competes in the Northeast-10 conference. The team is made up of 22 student-athletes, all of whom are committed to representing Plymouth State University and its Field hockey program in a positive manner. Head Coach Bonnie Lord enters her 20th season at the helm of the program and looks to lead the team to its fourth NCAA tournament appearance in five years. The team is captained by senior midfielder Olivia Provencher and features six seniors, eight juniors, four sophomores, and two freshmen.

The Schedule

The Schedule
Plymouth State University will open its 2017 field hockey season on Friday, September 1st, at home against Simmons College. The Panthers will then hit the road for three games, returning home on Wednesday, September 13th to take on Husson University

The Conference Schedule begins on Saturday, September 23rd when Plymouth State travels to Keene State College The Panthers will look to defend their Little East Conference championship from a year ago when they went undefeated in LEC play.

PSU will have six home games in all this season, highlighted by a matchup with defending National Champion Bowdoin College on Saturday, October 7th.

The Roster

The Roster
Plymouth State’s Field Hockey team is composed of student-athletes from all around the world, including the United States Canada, Germany, and England. The following is the complete list of players for the 2018 season:

Forwards
-Hannah Burgess (Sr., Rochester, NH)
-Molly Wotton (Jr., Longmeadow, MA)
-Ali Mrakovich (So., Dauphin, PA)
-Tina Balzotti (Fr., Hanson, MA)
-Emily McKenna (Fr., Winchester, MA)

Midfielders
-Kaitlyn Burchill (Sr., Andover, MA)
-Eva Dulakova (Sr., Prague, Czech Republic)
-Anna Dolan (Jr., Windham, NH)
-Margaret Sheila O’Neill (Fr., Haverhill, MA)
Defender/Midfielder
-Paige Slye (So., Bowdoinham, ME)

Defenders Goalkeepers
-Makenzie Farrer (Jr., Kennebunkport, ME) -Claire Spangenberg (Sr., Gilford, NH) -Jess Nelson (So., Hudson Falls, NY)

The Coaches

Plymouth State’s Field Hockey program is led by head coach Mindy Quickel. Coach Quickel is entering her 28th season at the helm of the Panthers and her 37th year overall as a collegiate Head Coach She has built Plymouth State into one of the top programs in New England, leading the Panthers to 17 Little East Conference (LEC) Championships, 12 NCAA Tournament appearances and five trips to the NCAA Division III Final Four. Under her guidance, Plymouth State has produced 31 All-Americans, eight LEC Players of the Year, and six National Field hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) New England Regional Players of the Year.

Assistant coach Kate Dolan is in her first season with Plymouth State after serving as an assistant at Brandeis University last fall. Prior to Brandeis, Dolan was an assistant at Colby-Sawyer College for three seasons. A native of Rye, N.H., Dolan played four years of Field Hockey and lacrosse at St. Anselm College, serving as captain of both teams her senior year. She was a three-time recipient of the team’s Leading Lady Award and was named to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Conference second team in 2009. Dolan also played two years of club Field Hockey at Wesleyan University and one year with the Coast United Outlaws in 2009.

The Captains

Plymouth State will be looking to leaders on and off the field to step up in a big way this season.

The Captains
Co-captains Sibel Gurbuz and Meghan Anderson will provide essential on-field leadership for the team this season. Gurbuz, a junior midfielder from Istanbul, Turkey, has started all but one game in her two years at Plymouth State. She scored four goals and added two assists last season while helping the team to a berth in the Little East Conference (LEC) tournament. Anderson, a senior defender from Bow, N.H., is a three-year starter who has played in all but two games during her Plymouth State career. She tallied one goal and one assist last season while anchoring a defense that posted five shutouts.

The Fans

Plymouth State field hockey fans are some of the most passionate in all of college sports They live and breathe field hockey and they bleed Panther blue. There is no better place to watch a game than right here in the middle of all the action.

The student section known as the “Blue Crew,” is always loud and always proud. They are the backbone of the Plymouth State Field Hockey Team and they give the team an extra boost of energy when they need it most.

If you’re looking for a great atmosphere and a fun time, Plymouth State field hockey is the place for you.

The Alumni

There are many great field hockey programs across the country, but Plymouth State is proud to have one of the best. Our alumni have gone on to have successful careers in a variety of fields, and many of them still stay involved with the program.

We sat down with a few of our alumni to get their thoughts on the upcoming season Here’s what they had to say:

“I’m really excited to see what this team can do this year. They have a lot of talent and I think they could surprise some people.”

“Plymouth State has always had a strong Field Hockey program, and I think this year will be no different. I’m looking forward to seeing how they compete against some of the best teams in the country.”

“This is going to be a great season for Plymouth State field hockey I’m excited to see how far this team can go.”

The Media

The media will be present at all home games this season. The reporters and broadcasters are there to provide Plymouth State with great coverage and to promote the sport of Field Hockey

Please remember to be respectful of the reporters and broadcasters. They are there to do their job and to provide you with information about the game.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the media relations office at Plymouth State.

Conclusion

Now that you know a little more about Plymouth State Field Hockey we hope you’ll come out and support the team this season! Go Panthers!