With her last season playing field hockey as a Patriot at its end, senior Kristin Clark looks back on her three year career with a heavy heart, but with memories that will last a lifetime. She is set to graduate in the spring.
Mason Field Hockey
“I’m so sad that this is my last year,” said Clark. “It was definitely all worth it, though.”
Clark, team captain and president of this club, started playing the sport 10 years ago after noticing how enthralled her older sister was with the game.
“Growing up, you always want to be like your older siblings, so naturally I wanted to play field hockey as well,” Clark said. “She’s my biggest influence.”
Clark joined the field hockey club her freshman year, and is hoping to continue her career as a player after graduation.
This past season, the team’s record was 3-5-1. Many of those losses were tight, close games that could have gone either way. This was a major increase from their last season, in which the team lost almost all their games. Clark attributes this change to the new group of freshmen who were fully committed to the success of the sport and their team.
“One game that really stuck out was when we played against Loyola University,” said Clark. “We had no substitutes and we were playing away, with the odds against us. We were neck-and-neck for the entire game until we scored our 6th goal and played a more defensive game, going on to win 6-5. I feel very fortunate leaving the team in the hands of these new players, as they are our future,” said Clark.
The club was founded in 1996 and is co-ed, one of only a handful at Mason.
“I honestly love the feeling of being able to go up against a guy and take the ball away from him,” said Clark. “It is just so satisfying.”
The club is looking for more men to join; as of now, there is only one man on the team.
“These girls go hard,” said freshman Will Krawczak. “If there are any other guys out there that love the game and want to achieve new heights, playing on the field with these girls will surely put a new perspective on their life.”
Other schools have made their club team open for men to become members as well, such as JMU, against whom Mason had a extremely close game with this season.
“Guys should feel more than comfortable to join, as we really do have a great organization here,” Clark said.
One probable inhibitor to guys joining the team is the idea that field is hockey is a girl’s only sport.
In the past, the sport has been girl’s only at Mason, but now it is a co-ed sport.
With this season coming to a finish last week, the team is working hard preparing for their next season in the upcoming fall. With this new batch of skilled players, the future of this team appears very promising.
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