Success for the University of Maryland-Baltimore County field hockey program is not always judged by wins and losses.
The Retrievers are forced to look for small victories within the course of a game as they attempt to build a program that has only been in existence in its current form since 2000, when it went from a club team to Division I. UMBC previously had a varsity field hockey program from 1977 to ?87.
Since its rebirth, UMBC has gone just 20-80 and has yet to win an America East Conference game since the school joined the league in 2003. The Retrievers, who suffered a 5-1 loss to Vermont Saturday in their conference opener, are 1-9 and have been outscored, 36-11, through 10 games this season.
“We have some great athletes, but we don?t have enough of them here just yet,” said first-year coach Lauren Fuchs, who came to UMBC after 12 years at Temple. “But so far, the players have bought into what I?ve been teaching them. The biggest thing we have to do is stop giving up early goals because we are almost always playing from behind.”
Despite not winning too many games, UMBC does have its share of quality players who are hoping to lay the foundation for future success at the Catonsville campus, including senior midfielders and co-captains Julie Moore and Kristi Troster. Moore, a first-team America East selection in 2005, is the Retrievers? all-time leading goal scorer with 20. Troster, an all-conference second-team selection last year, is the team?s top returning scorer from a year ago, when she finished with six goals and two assists.
“Sometimes, not winning can be frustrating,” Moore said. “We?ve just tried to set other goals for ourselves throughout the course of the season, like winning a conference game, holding a certain team to one goal and eventually winning at least half our games.”
Moore said she is proud of the individual accomplishments she has achieved in her career. But she would rather her legacy be helping the younger players on the team get better and eventually be a legitimate contender in the America East.
“Individual awards are a special honor, but no player can be an elite scorer without the help of their teammates,” Moore said. “Being able to come back in a couple of years and see a winning program would really make me happy.”
UMBC NOTES
» A number of younger players have played prominent roles for UMBC so far this year, including freshman forward Mary Strain (Patuxent), sophomore midfielder Amanda Yanulevich (Glenelg) and sophomore midfielder Allyson Carter.
» The Retrievers? lone win this year came Sept. 15 against St. Francis, 2-0.
