Penn State Field Hockey Coach Char Morett Discusses New Field Hockey Pitch

Penn State University
Reporters Conference with Char Morett
August 29, 2005

Penn State field hockey head coach Char Morett met with reporters at Penn State's fall sports media day on Monday. The transcript from her press conference follows.

Opening Statement
We had an exciting start to the season this weekend. We opened up with Old Dominion, which has certainly been one of the best teams throughout the years. One of the reasons we start with Old Dominion is we get an opportunity right away to see how good we are and see where we need some work. It's always a good measuring stick. We lost from last year's class three seniors in Amanda Eckert, Michele Rigby and Karin Grap, who pretty much made up our forward line. We're looking to replace kids on our forward line. One new addition we have on our starting lineup is a freshman Jen Long. She's from CB East High out of Doylestown, Pa. She's a very experienced freshman and is on the United States Under-21 squad, and played a lot this summer with that squad. She's a very, very poised player. Having her in the back as a freshman, a lot of coaches might think that is a liability, but for us it's a good thing. It's also nice that we have Megan [Akstin] returning in goal. We also have Jen Beaumont who redshirted last year as a freshman. She has shown a tremendous amount of improvement and I think she'll be a goalie that will continue to contend for playing time in that position. We have a lot of returners on defense with Carey Maser on the left back and Molly Schriver on the right back. We moved Sara Cahill from the left back to the center back position because she's a real feisty type of player who can really pick up and anticipate a lot of things that happen in the center. Bekah Hostetler we moved up into the midfield along with Kiersten Wood. Those two will be sharing positions; right mid or center mid it just really depends. Those players will be really strong starters and players for us. Annelise Legel and Natalie Berrena will be sharing a forward and middie position. They both too will also be starters. We also have Shaun Banta who played some last year. This year she had a great preseason and has had a really strong start this past weekend. We're looking for Shaun to do most of the scoring from the field and probably Carey Maser, Annelise Legel and Mallory Weisen to do some of our corner shooting. Ali Scola, a freshman, has come in from Hershey High. It's interesting to note she was a state gymnastics champion last year. We got her on the field hockey field and she's been very poised. We also have Britney Long who was a redshirt freshman last year who will get some playing time. Chase Bacon and Natalie Blasco will be two strong subs off the bench and will give us some depth. So overall I think we have a much more experienced team than last year especially with the way our defense is set up. We still need to create a little more strength to our forwards and make sure that we are putting ourselves in a position to score from the field.

Is this a rebuilding season for you?
Last year we were in rebuilding mode. We had lost six starters from the year before and it was a rebuilding year for us. This year we have a lot more experience in our backfield and I feel that with the way the team played this spring we added a lot more versatility from our players. We have players who can play back and middie, or middie and forward. So when things get changed up on the field there's not the panic to get back to their set positions. I think that they can interchange and that's an advantage at this level.

Talk about your offense and scoring options
To be honest, except for the past two years we've had a strong corner shooter, a go-to player on the corner. This year and last year we have players who can hit the ball but not with the power and consistency that we've had in the past. Probably on corners we're more of an option corner style team which is nice just to get the teams back on their heels without a power shooter. Hopefully that is something that can be developed with Carey Maser and possibly Kiersten Wood.

How do your forwards look this year?
Shaun Banta can definitely find the net. Natalie Berrena is another one. Britney Long, too. I think right now so early in the season we need to do a better job of taking care of getting the ball in scoring position and then scoring. In our alumni game and then in our games vs. Old Dominion and William & Mary there were so many opportunities that we had inside the 25 where we didn't get a shot off. If anything we need to get a shot or we need to get a corner. That's what concerns me.

Does the trouble with scoring put pressure on your goalkeeper, Megan Akstin?
Not necessarily because I feel confident with Megan and our backs and even our midfield. I feel confident in the way we play defensively. I don't think we are going to be giving up a lot of goals, but at the same time we need to be scoring some goals. Last year was the least amount of goals we had given up in a long, long time, but my concern right now is scoring.

How important was it to come back with the win vs. William & Mary in the penalty stroke-off after the loss at Old Dominion?
It was very important because the [first and second halves] vs. Old Dominion were two completely different halves. Old Dominion is just a very balanced team all over the field. They attack with everyone at every place. They will put everyone in the circle. So it's really hard to penetrate against that type of defense. We came back in the second half and got some scoring opportunities. We had a goal called back, but two minutes later we scored. In my mind that was awesome that the kids didn't let down--they kept the offensive pressure on. We had chances in the second half and unfortunately they knocked a goal in late in the second half and kind of put the nail in the coffin. To come back the next day at William & Mary gave me a tremendous amount of confidence in the competitiveness they had, the heart that they had and the fitness they had. We got on the field at 11:00 to warm up and we finished with [penalty] strokes at 2:15. And that's a long time to be out on a dry turf on a hot day in Virginia. Sara Cahill played the entire game. Both teams had a tremendous amount of chances to score. It was a coach's nightmare from both sides because just when your team had a great opportunity to score, they couldn't finish. Then the other team had a great opportunity to score and they couldn't finish. They'd shoot wide, they'd shoot high and we did the same thing. Just to see our team continue to grind that game out was positive. A bunch of alums were emailing me saying what a great win that was. I said, "Yeah, I finally have a team that can score on penalty strokes." I've lost in the Final Four when we haven't been able to stroke. All four strokers that went out there nailed their strokes. It's like going out there and hitting a "10" on the balance beam. There wasn't any way the goalie was going to touch the ball. That was a big confidence booster for our entire team.

How nice is your new field?
It's ridiculously nice. It's spoiling. Our field and the way the layout is and the way they water it and the way the water is equally distributed on the field, the way the ball doesn't go far because we have a fence close up to the sidelines--I honestly believe we have the best field hockey field in the country. And when the United States Under-21 team and coaches came they agreed on that feeling. It's just a beautiful field and I'm very proud and thankful to the University that we have this field to take such pride in.

How many colleges have their own field like you?
There aren't very many on college campuses. There's [a great AstroTurf® field] at the US Training Center in Virginia Beach. Michigan has its own field, but it can't compare to what we have here. Other schools might share with Lacrosse or there might be a track around it. Here we have our own but it's spoiling. In previous years we've looked forward to going on the road and playing on other nice fields. We're very happy to be at home and are very happy to have the field that we have.

How much input did you have in constructing the new field?
The people that put the turf in, they obviously know what they are doing. Sometimes I think they don't trust my experience on turf. But everyone thinks turf is the same and they'll say, "Why don't you go play in Holuba [Hall]?" Like last year vs. Lafayette when the torrential rain came down and people asked why we weren't in [Holuba] for the whole game. Well, no, that's turf with pebbles in it. It's field turf. That slows the game down. It's like playing on grass. So you want the ideal surface and when it came time to get a field, I said it doesn't make sense but to get the ideal surface if it's just going to be field hockey. So we talked to the people at AstroTurf® and said this is what we want and then talked to the architects and said this is the way we want the field laid out. I pretty much got what I wanted.

Do you miss the bumps and funny bounces at Bigler?
No! It's funny because people will say, "Your field wasn't that bad" because it was so worn it was fast. But there were times in games like two years ago where we knew we had to attack this goal first because to attack at the end of the game with a crucial corner on the line, you weren't going to execute it. We used to watch other teams just fumble the ball around and it was home field advantage on that one. But we got used to it. It's so much nicer now. The alumni came back and they are in awe of the facility.

How much does that help with recruiting?
I think it's a big recruiting tool. There are so many factors that go into recruiting. You look at Beaver Stadium-it's got to be one of the nicest stadiums anywhere. You look at our campus, our academics. There are so many positive things to say about Penn State and obviously having this facility is going to add to that. I think when we had the U-21 players up here it makes a difference that you have a really nice facility as opposed to playing on a field that's not quite making it.

Talk about State College native Natalie Berrena
She's just been a story from the day she got here. She came in as a walk-on. I gave her the opportunity to try out for the team and she really was sort of like a deer in headlights as soon as she got here along with Molly Schriver. The two of them worked very, very hard at practice their freshman year. They took their freshman redshirt year very seriously to improve their skills. Their second year they were involved in some playing time, definitely more competitive practice time. You could just continually see their progression, but more importantly you could see their desire to improve. They were the kids who were out there early working on their skills. They wanted to be a part of the program, and they wanted to be a significant part of the program. And Natalie, my feeling is you have a local girl here who wants to play here-give her the opportunity. And what she does with it is really up to her. She's really earned the position she's in now. She's one of the top forwards on the team. She's very deceptive and very well respected from the other players. She's very quiet, which is ironic if you've ever had the chance to see her sing. She's phenomenal. She sings downtown and to see her get on stage--well, she used to be the one at the back of the line in the drills and now she's in the limelight in downtown State College. And she's kind of in the limelight with our program as one of the captains. It's great to see how far she's come and we're really proud of her.

How has the Penn State field hockey community reached out to Sarah Scott?
I just went down and saw Sarah on Thursday. We practiced up until the afternoon and I got in my car and drove to the facility-Moss Rehabilitation Facility in Einstein Hospital. I'd seen Sarah two days after she was admitted into Moss Rehab. She was up in a wheelchair at a computer in a brace. Her spirits were very strong and it was a very tearful moment but at the same time it was an inspiring moment just to hug her and let her know that she has support here and to see how self-sufficient she was. Her spirit, her attitude and her outlook were something that I wasn't expecting at the time-she was just so positive. She's gone through some rough times with some infections that she's had the past couple weeks. [Penn State Athletic Director] Tim Curley went down to see her last Monday. When I went to see her on Thursday, the players had given me a whole bunch of posters, balloons, cards and field hockey balls. We took stuff down there and put it up all over her room and she said to me, "Char I am just overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from Penn State University. I've received over 150 emails, and it's just an incredible outpouring that I never expected." I really do believe the Penn State family is something very special and very unique to college athletics. I think when you look at the people who have been in the Penn State program, you look at a Jerry Sandusky and the way he's helped underprivileged children, the way everybody rallied around Adam Taliaferro and the way they did about [athletic trainer] Renee Messina's little girl Isabella. When you come into an athletic program like Penn State, it's just not about what you do on the field and it's not just a four-year experience. That's what you tell these kids when you recruit them to come here. We'd love for you to come here because we think we have something special that's going to last you a lifetime. We're doing all we can to support Sarah. We called her from the bus the other day and told her about our win. They're having a fundraiser for her down in Philadelphia in Nov. 5 and we're trying to get a bunch of the alumni down there and get some silent auction items to take down there for her. She's in our thoughts every day. She emails me back and forth and leaves me voice mails. It's a very unfortunate situation, but I think her spirit and her athleticism and her determination are going to continue to pull her through this experience and help her with the challenges that lie ahead. When I go in there, she has a big smile on her face, and that means a lot.

Talk about your new assistant coach
Tara Maguire. Her nickname is Dewey and she started in February. She was an All-American/All-Big Ten player here, but more importantly she has a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of loyalty to the program. She's really enjoying her time with us right now. It's very exciting and the players are really happy to have her on the field and learning different skills from her.