Drexel University Athletics
Field Hockey Player Blogs
October 7, 2011 - Blog #3
Many things have changed in the past three weeks. School is in full swing, the streets are filled with new faces and when we begin practice, the sun is... I can't find it... Wait, there it is! No, no never mind – that's the moon... It can all be a little overwhelming, but being with the team makes it all worthwhile, and there are always the little things like seeing your teammates in normal clothing to brighten the day. Spoiler alert: we own jeans and cute tops... and earrings? Woah! Jewelry? No way! Even in our “normal” clothing, I realize we are always wearing something that connects us – the bracelets we made during preseason. They haven't left a single wrist. I'd hardly consider us a girlie bunch, but we have a thing for bracelets. On the bus ride home from VCU, we occupied a good portion of the drive with filling out order forms for Bead for Life. They're a non-profit organization that works to eradicate extreme poverty. The beads are hand made with recycled paper by Ugandan women and sold world wide. And of course, they come in every possible color you could imagine. Someone (...Linsday McArdle) ordered 5 of them. Yes, we have a bracelet problem.
There is a lot of excitement on the field and in the locker room as we enter our third weekend of CAA games. This is the weekend we have been preparing for since August! If there is one thing we need to remember when we step onto Buckley Field tomorrow night, it is that any team is beatable on any given day. Whether we are the favored team or the underdog, this is always true, so we have to play like there is no tomorrow. On Friday night, we have the opportunity to improve our overall record against William and Mary and on Sunday afternoon, we are faced with conference rival ODU who has thus far had an undefeated season.
We were very happy to be playing in Philadelphia last weekend, and knowing that we will have our home fan base behind us again as we prepare for these two games is only raising the hype! With each game we have grown stronger as a team and within our designated lines. We have consistently increased our scoring opportunities and if we can capitalize on these brilliant moments of team play, we can beat both opponents. We have to go into the game confident that we have the skill and the will to outplay them because so much of being ready to play involves overcoming the mental obstacles we build for ourselves. We are always working to improve our game plan, but this week we also did a lot of work on getting in the “zone”. What gets us in the “zone”? Sorry, I can't give further insight on this one... that would be a violation of locker room secrets... and our handy notebooks, but I can tell you our minds are now just as primed as our bodies.
Are you ready? We are.
Games: Friday @ 7pm vs. W&M and Sunday @ 12pm vs. ODU
For those of you who have a bracelet obsession like us: http://www.beadforlife.org/indexB.html
Come support DUFH!
#19 Meghan Plank
September 16, 2011 - Blog #2
With the scoreboard reading 2-0 in favor of UConn at the conclusion of Sunday’s match-up it may be hard to believe we played an even better game that day than we did in our 3-0 victory against Sacred Heart, but truly, we did. Defense was solid, passes were crisp, and corners were earned because we played together.
In Sunday’s pre-game meeting, Coach quoted Vince Lombardi: “The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.” We often fail to understand this concept because the pressure we place upon ourselves to win interferes with our ability to complete smaller, simpler tasks within the game. For this reason, it was important for the team to hear that quote. When the final buzzer sounded in Sunday's game we were still in UConn's circle giving it our all. Naturally, we were unsatisfied with the result, but the will to win was evident even after going down a goal early in the game. That is often times the biggest obstacle.
A loss like that is difficult to stomach because it is a combination of a few very minor details. The challenge isn’t fixing these details as much as it is identifying them. Luckily, our coaches and players have a knack for careful observation.
Last week, we made small changes and improvements between our games on the road, then after a day of rest, we returned to Buckley Field ready focus on the small details yet again. Our efforts this week truly made each practice worthwhile. If we continue to recognize the areas that need improvement and compete with the same vigor we showed in our game against UConn, I have no doubt the results we want will start to fall into place.
Come support Drexel Field Hockey in our games against Lafayette and Temple this weekend at Buckley Field!
Go Dragons!
#19 Meghan Plank
September 8, 2011 - Blog #1
We are a team because we share a passion for field hockey, but we are a team that will persevere because somewhere along the line, someone or something inspired us to give a second effort, to keep pushing for better results, to strive for something greater than we thought could be accomplished.
After my first month with Drexel Field Hockey, I still have much to learn about this game and much to learn about being a member of this team, but there is one thing I am certain of – the inspiration that has carried us all to this point in our lives comes from the families who love and support us; from coaches, past and present; from the fans who cheer us on at home, on the road, and in some cases, from across the Atlantic. It comes from the pre-game routines, the pump up music, the excited chatter and smiles in the locker room. It comes from our synchronized swimming warm-up, the sideline huddles, and the sound of us cheering “PROUD TO BE DU!”
I remember standing against the fence at Buckley Field last fall – just a spectator in the electric atmosphere. There is nothing quite like playing on our field, whether or not the lights are shining as we run, but as we venture out to New England this weekend to play Sacred Heart and nationally ranked UConn, we need to rely upon those intangible things to bring us inspiration and we need to rely upon one another. We have learned a lot from the loss to Duke, and I am confident that we will come home from this road trip as an even stronger competitor.
#19 Meghan Plank
Many things have changed in the past three weeks. School is in full swing, the streets are filled with new faces and when we begin practice, the sun is... I can't find it... Wait, there it is! No, no never mind – that's the moon... It can all be a little overwhelming, but being with the team makes it all worthwhile, and there are always the little things like seeing your teammates in normal clothing to brighten the day. Spoiler alert: we own jeans and cute tops... and earrings? Woah! Jewelry? No way! Even in our “normal” clothing, I realize we are always wearing something that connects us – the bracelets we made during preseason. They haven't left a single wrist. I'd hardly consider us a girlie bunch, but we have a thing for bracelets. On the bus ride home from VCU, we occupied a good portion of the drive with filling out order forms for Bead for Life. They're a non-profit organization that works to eradicate extreme poverty. The beads are hand made with recycled paper by Ugandan women and sold world wide. And of course, they come in every possible color you could imagine. Someone (...Linsday McArdle) ordered 5 of them. Yes, we have a bracelet problem.
There is a lot of excitement on the field and in the locker room as we enter our third weekend of CAA games. This is the weekend we have been preparing for since August! If there is one thing we need to remember when we step onto Buckley Field tomorrow night, it is that any team is beatable on any given day. Whether we are the favored team or the underdog, this is always true, so we have to play like there is no tomorrow. On Friday night, we have the opportunity to improve our overall record against William and Mary and on Sunday afternoon, we are faced with conference rival ODU who has thus far had an undefeated season.
We were very happy to be playing in Philadelphia last weekend, and knowing that we will have our home fan base behind us again as we prepare for these two games is only raising the hype! With each game we have grown stronger as a team and within our designated lines. We have consistently increased our scoring opportunities and if we can capitalize on these brilliant moments of team play, we can beat both opponents. We have to go into the game confident that we have the skill and the will to outplay them because so much of being ready to play involves overcoming the mental obstacles we build for ourselves. We are always working to improve our game plan, but this week we also did a lot of work on getting in the “zone”. What gets us in the “zone”? Sorry, I can't give further insight on this one... that would be a violation of locker room secrets... and our handy notebooks, but I can tell you our minds are now just as primed as our bodies.
Are you ready? We are.
Games: Friday @ 7pm vs. W&M and Sunday @ 12pm vs. ODU
For those of you who have a bracelet obsession like us: http://www.beadforlife.org/indexB.html
Come support DUFH!
#19 Meghan Plank
September 16, 2011 - Blog #2
With the scoreboard reading 2-0 in favor of UConn at the conclusion of Sunday’s match-up it may be hard to believe we played an even better game that day than we did in our 3-0 victory against Sacred Heart, but truly, we did. Defense was solid, passes were crisp, and corners were earned because we played together.
In Sunday’s pre-game meeting, Coach quoted Vince Lombardi: “The spirit, the will to win and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur.” We often fail to understand this concept because the pressure we place upon ourselves to win interferes with our ability to complete smaller, simpler tasks within the game. For this reason, it was important for the team to hear that quote. When the final buzzer sounded in Sunday's game we were still in UConn's circle giving it our all. Naturally, we were unsatisfied with the result, but the will to win was evident even after going down a goal early in the game. That is often times the biggest obstacle.
A loss like that is difficult to stomach because it is a combination of a few very minor details. The challenge isn’t fixing these details as much as it is identifying them. Luckily, our coaches and players have a knack for careful observation.
Last week, we made small changes and improvements between our games on the road, then after a day of rest, we returned to Buckley Field ready focus on the small details yet again. Our efforts this week truly made each practice worthwhile. If we continue to recognize the areas that need improvement and compete with the same vigor we showed in our game against UConn, I have no doubt the results we want will start to fall into place.
Come support Drexel Field Hockey in our games against Lafayette and Temple this weekend at Buckley Field!
Go Dragons!
#19 Meghan Plank
September 8, 2011 - Blog #1
We are a team because we share a passion for field hockey, but we are a team that will persevere because somewhere along the line, someone or something inspired us to give a second effort, to keep pushing for better results, to strive for something greater than we thought could be accomplished.
After my first month with Drexel Field Hockey, I still have much to learn about this game and much to learn about being a member of this team, but there is one thing I am certain of – the inspiration that has carried us all to this point in our lives comes from the families who love and support us; from coaches, past and present; from the fans who cheer us on at home, on the road, and in some cases, from across the Atlantic. It comes from the pre-game routines, the pump up music, the excited chatter and smiles in the locker room. It comes from our synchronized swimming warm-up, the sideline huddles, and the sound of us cheering “PROUD TO BE DU!”
I remember standing against the fence at Buckley Field last fall – just a spectator in the electric atmosphere. There is nothing quite like playing on our field, whether or not the lights are shining as we run, but as we venture out to New England this weekend to play Sacred Heart and nationally ranked UConn, we need to rely upon those intangible things to bring us inspiration and we need to rely upon one another. We have learned a lot from the loss to Duke, and I am confident that we will come home from this road trip as an even stronger competitor.
#19 Meghan Plank