Live Blog: Davidson vs. Furman (Men's Hoops)

DavidsonWildcats.com is offering a new way to follow your 'Cats online. Mark Brumbaugh of the sports information staff will author a live blog during the men's basketball game tonight vs. Furman.

The idea for it is to be fun and informative so comments are encouraged! Click the "Reader Information" link in the applet below for more.

The World's Most Famous Arena?

By Lauren Biggers

St. John's/St. Francis

December 20 & 21, 2010

Escorting Will Reigel and Nik Cochran back to the locker room, after climbing 17,000 stairs to the radio booth, after Davidson defeated St. Francis, 76-69, I ask them what they have been doing since they arrived in New York.

Just staying around the hotel. Sleeping. I watched three movies yesterday. I think some of the guys went out and walked around a little. You?

I went to Jimmy Fallon yesterday.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the difference between a working trip and a non-working one.

Last year after six months of planning, I missed this trip due to snowstorm. So you better believe, it wasn’t going to happen again. THIS travel party arrived on Friday.

We spent the first few days catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and exploring the city that really doesn’t ever sleep. If you have seen New York at Christmas (and I hadn’t), you know how much there is to see. And if you haven’t, well then, put it on your bucket list.

It’s worth it. And why it is a little too easy to forget that we were actually in town to play some basketball games. So you’ll excuse my sister when she accused the Wildcats of ballroom dancing in the upper room of the Hotel Affinia. “UM, that’s a walk through,” corrects AT Ray Beltz and former ‘Cat Chris Clunie. Oh snap.

But that’s what was so great about this trip. The location was perfect. So many friends and family around. The City has never looked better. The Arena is historic. And the games, not just a side dish, but for yours truly, this trip was about so much more.

Captain Morgan Clark, former assistant director of marketing and current D.C. resident, flew in Friday, complete with five-day, color-coded itinerary, produced on Excel and aptly titled NYC Davidsonapalooza. We spent the first two days traipsing around the city sans other Davidsonites, until meeting SID Marc Gignac and party for shepherd’s pie Sunday, after walking back from Brooklyn by way of the Manhattan bridge (and through the Lincoln Tunnel... obligatory Elf reference).

On Monday, our travel party expanded again when former field hockey assistant coach and current England resident Becky Van Zee arrived, and yet again when after another day playing in the City (and ultimate tourist on the 30 Rock tour, where I got all the SNL trivia correct), we met Andrew LOVEdale (!!!!!) and Director of Alumni Relations Peter Wagner (! ... kidding!) at the pre-game gathering. This trip! Just! Keeps! Getting! Better!

Eventually, I made my way over to the Garden, self-billed and widely debated as the World’s Most Famous Arena. Since it was (and probably, is) obvious that my expectations for this trip were off the charts, I was warned by former SID assistant and current St. John’s GA Will Bryan (MIA because of illness. Sad face.) not to expect too much from the Garden. Don’t tell him I said so, but he was right.

The only really nice thing about the Garden is the video boards, which to be honest, aren’t even as nice as the ones at the Bobcats’ Arena. (How do you like us now, Raymond?) The seats are purple and teal, though I never got around to asking why, and the stats monitors are impossible to read. (We’re shooting 17%?! No, that’s 37. Oh, well, that’s better.) But it is charming.

I didn’t make any notes on the first half of St. John’s-Davidson because I didn’t have a pen. In fact, I didn’t have anything except my blackberry. Which I used to snap some pictures instead. Sorry, boss. I couldn’t shake the tourist act. Despite making a friend on press row (Here, you can have this program. You’ll look busy.), I relocated by Gignac and the Davidson bench for the second half. (All the better for overhearing refs. And to get on TV. Kidding?)

The second half played out much like the first: Close. BMcK made three huge treys in a row, the second of which tied the game for the fifth time, and the third of which prompted the woman beside me to ask, “Does McKillop ever miss a three?”

Neither team could shake the other, but the Johnnies built their largest lead, 51-46 with 8:18 to go on a pair of Justin Brownlee free throws. JP Koolman hit a three of his own and converted the four-point play to cut it to one with just over six to play. Jake Cohen took a nasty fall, got up bleeding and made a dramatic exit (“that was really gross in HD”), and BMcK’s fifth three-ball of the game knotted the score for the eighth time, 55-all.

A jumper from Paris Horne and two freebies by Justin Burrell was all the scoring St. John’s would get over the next five minutes, but Bootz’ layup at 5:15 was all the ‘Cats would get at all. The WL, stranded in Chicago and forced to watch the Bears on MNF, needed an update. With 16.8 seconds left. Brendan comes off a screen, gets the ball from JP at the top of the key, gets a good look... in-and-out. He misses. Johnnies win, 60-57.

A missed opportunity makes for a subdued post game, but the Wildcats had about eight hours to mourn it before focusing their attention on St. Francis. And that ballroom dancing. Me? Well, there was shopping at FAO Schwartz (look, a Real! Life! Toy! Soldier!) and Jimmy Fallon... See you in a few boys, I’m on vacation.

Trying to stick to THE ITINERARY and having the early game meant nearly running 20 blocks back to the hotel for a quick change before a business dinner with Captain Morgan, the Big Cat and lawyer-in-waiting Molly M. to discuss Access 2 Success (Andrew’s charity to bring his philosophy of faith, sports and education to Nigeria and beyond... stay tuned) before heading back to the Garden one last time. Only it’s cold out, and my feet hurt (LOTS), and the media entrance is ALL the way around the other side. Think I’ll just go in this way. Is that OK, sir? Yes? Thanks. That was (way too) easy. When I finally get around the arena, up to the media room, down to the media entrance, I am trapped in an episode of Southern girl meets abrasive New Yorkers, and I love it. And I am really starting to regret these shoes.

On the inside, it is warm, and things are off and running. St. Francis gets a quick steal, but Jake Cohen is back to swat it away (with authority) before scoring the game’s first bucket. Soon enough, though, SF has taken a 12-8 lead on an Akeem Johnson basket five minutes in. Behind an 11-0 run, including three-balls from Jake Cohen, JP Koolman and BMcK, Davidson re-snags a 19-12 lead with nine minutes left and will not trail the rest of the half, leading by as many as eight.

After a “quick” trip to the media room (So. Many. Steps.), the Wildcats open a nine-point lead out of the break. Two gimmies from Jake Cohen make it 10, one of three times the ‘Cats would lead by that many in the second half. And while, to me, the game never really felt out of hand, SF would tie the lead at 46-all and take a one-point lead on a pair of free throws by Dre Calloway with 12 minutes to go. But just like that, an 11-0 Wildcat run for another 10-point lead (told you so), and this one is all but over. Though you wouldn’t know it from watching the Davidson coaching staff.

Two free throws by Jake Cohen give Davidson its third 10-point lead, 67-57 with three to play, and the senior captain is sidelined after getting tangled up with a SF player. To Nik Cochran, finish it off.

But it is JP Koolman who is fouled one last time, standing at the line with only four SF players on the court, and Coach McKillop feeling good enough to haggle the refs a little (throw the flag!) as Davidson finishes off the 76-69 win.

Gignac’s gotta take players to TV and then Coach the to post-game presser, so I’m tasked with taking guys to radio.

Nik and Will you’re with me.
Biggers, what are you doing on the court?

UM, we usually go to the locker room first.

Are you sure?

No. Are you?

No.

Awesome.

They go to the locker room. Which is where they are supposed to be. (Sorry, boss. What do I know? I’m on vacation.)

An eternity later (Will, stop fixing your hair... It’s radio), we are all wrapped up at the Garden, and I am (really, really) close to taking a cab across the street to the hotel. I pick up Peter Wagner, alone at his own little post-game celebration, to go to the hotel, where we find a much larger and dare I say, jovial (it IS Christmas) group this time.

If I know anything, I know Davidson will wish for that St. John’s game back when they watch it back. But batting .500 is pretty good. And we’re in New York at Christmas.

I’ll toast to that.

Rivalry Renewed

By Lauren Biggers

Men's Basketball vs. Charlotte

Dec. 11, 2010

Last time I wrote about lessons learned. About how I was going to take each game at face value, enjoy it, learn some stuff, apply it and move on. And this – this Davidson 82-68 victory over Charlotte in what was the best atmosphere at Belk arena in a long, long time, was the perfect game to start. But for the face value part.

Because with this one, you gotta mention the history.

The last time Charlotte-Davidson got together was memorable. I REMEMBER trekking over to Halton Arena with my entire family of newly-minted Wildcat fans and sitting in the nosebleeds (as you can imagine, I don’t enjoy that much) only to have Leemire Goldwire (hall of fame name) repeatedly drop daggers through my soul. The one before that was memorable, too, you know, because “HE’s... a ... freshman.” I haven’t personally been involved in any beyond that, but I’ve been told this holds true. That you are supposed to want that trophy, no matter how ugly it may be.

So when Charlotte came back to Belk Arena last night it was a big deal. I mean, Coach McKillop wore a three-piece pinstriped suit (!). Sure, the BlackOut game always creates a little bit of buzz, but the conversation and anticipation surrounding this one was a throwback to the TV lights era.

And at face value, it didn’t disappoint either. From the time the UNCCharlotte, er, Charlotte (right @bmckillop1?) cheerleaders came running out of the tunnel (no freaking way... they! brought! cheerleaders!) to the last of 10 late-game fouls (what? You can’t score 17 points in 2.5 seconds?), this one was entertaining.

Charlotte hit the court with a fury, and nearly a 1:1 coach to player ratio. Head coach Alan Major started following me on twitter this week, because I’m sure he thought I might spill a secret or two. Instead, as he took his seat next to me on the end of the scorers table, I imagined him shaking his head, ‘child, you watch too much bad reality TV.” He did not, of course, but a girl can dream.

When Jake stood in for the jump ball with “Jump Around” blaring, I wished aloud I had gotten him a fake tattoo or two. But once again, the black unis proved karmic (though konfusing... hey, I told you. Too much Kardashians...) enough. He scored the game’s first five points, and the Arener was rocking. A jumper from An’Juan Wilderness (I submit to you, a great last name) put Charlotte within one, 7-6, and soon enough, behind foul trouble and shooting woes, Davidson fell behind, 18-14.

Coach McKillop took a timeout after Jamar Briscoe’s three with 8:44 remaining, and the head official dropped off a stray ladybug at the table. I could argue that either was a turning point, but the game shifted for good after a MONSTAR fast-break dunk from Charlotte’s Javarris Barnett. It put the Niners up one, 28-27 with just 1:31 to play in the half, and could have been a real back-breaker. But BMcK was up the court in a split second, burying a three-ball and tossing off a look to the crowd that simultaneously killed the Charlotte momentum and created a near riot in the D-block.

The Wildcats took a one-point half-time lead and turned it into 10 as Nik Cochran went coast-to-coast with 13:40 left to play. From there, it was all Wildcats, with Big Ben Allison getting in a thunderously avenging dunk of his own, the Davidson Village Inn Santa Bike bringing some holiday spirit and the D-block doing a fantastic rendition of “Jingle Bells.” A rim-rattling dunk from De’Mon (Bootz) Brooks pushed the lead to a game-high 19, and the Niners ran out of gas right in front of 5,000 impressively vocal fans.

It’s easy to say it’s a good night when you win. But when its your job to escort a literally limping 19-year-old kid down the hallway to the media room, where he must sit and answer questions about why his team couldn’t do more/enough/anything to win, you do it without too much judgment. “I think it’s pretty obvious, we don’t have a lot of depth,” he apologizes.

Instead, you give the Niners and Major some props (come on... he tweets!). They never quit, fouling til the last tenth-of-a-second with the cheerleaders working hard to get a reaction out of the crowd (surely by now, they have realized they were in front of the Davidson staff/parents/coaches section? no?).

By contrast, the Davidson players come bouncing into the media room. Really, JAKE?! You couldn’t get one more rebound? He smiles, glances at the box score, sighs, “MAAAN.”

But no one wearing black is disappointed this night. Now, where do we hide that trophy?

The Beginning

By Lauren Biggers

Men's Basketball vs. Monmouth

“Hey, are you gonna write the Bleacher Report again?” TI asks, while munching on chicken fingers at The BH after the Wildcats’ 69-53 win over Monmouth Monday night.

The what?

The View from... you know... whatever.

OH? That. Well, yes. It’s a pretty well-documented fact, at this point, that I started writing this blog mostly as an excuse to follow Stephen Curry and the traveling Wildcat circus around the world. (What? You did it too.) It was a way for me to earn my Chick-fil-A on the road, and a fun way to connect the team with the fans. And Stephen Curry will always cast a shadow over this blog. This team. This program.

Last year... last year was the start of the After Stephen era. Looking back now, it’s hard to imagine anything but a letdown. There was plenty of good to be sure (TWO rookies of the year?!) but just not. quite. enough. Fitting that Matt Matheny would put an end to it.

We all learned lessons last year. Me? I learned that each game is its own story. And if you get too caught up looking for the end, you might miss the beginning and middle.

This year is already full of ups and downs, and we’re only six games in. A disappointing loss at Penn. A disastrous shooting performance against West Virginia, followed by two resilient wins against Nebraska and Western Kentucky. Another road loss to a pretty good Rhode Island team.

So when the Wildcats finally came home, we didn’t quite know what to expect. Call me crazy, but with this team, I get the sense that that’s a good thing.

With nine minutes to play in the first half, I said to @gwagonmcfarlin, that we should be winning this game. But nope. Not til Brendan put the Wildcats on his shoulders, hitting one of his five three balls to put the ‘Cats up, 24-20 with seven minutes to go in the half, on his way to scoring a team-high 17 points.

From there it was all Wildcats.

And my favorite part? It wasn’t Frank Ben-Eze’s (who got an impressive ovation every time he breathed) MONSTER BLOCK (“that looked like Sarabeth Peele”). It wasn’t Jake Cohen finishing one rebound shy of a double-double or JP making a three despite getting fouled and then getting fired up about it.

I did really enjoy that the mascot is wearing one of my all-time favorite Wildcats’ numbers. (LOVE!) And when the D-block shouted “AHHHHH!” to mimic one of the Monmouth players disappointment over losing the ball out of bounds. I did not enjoy that really loud opposing fan screaming over my shoulder all night (except when she observed that the refs can’t see #!$! here. Because that $#!# is funny, lady.).

I love that Alvin and Clay got to play in this game. I love that Coach McKillop was so fired up over a phantom call on JP that he nearly threw his water on the bench (but I would have loved that more. Sorry guys.)

But my favorite part was when Jordan (“We call him the microwave”) Downing got the ball behind the line with the shot clock winding down. I think he was so surprised by how wide open he was that he nearly dropped it. But with two ticks left, he calmly buried the three right in front of the bench with a confident surprise.

It capped off a five-point run to push Davidson’s lead back to 14, but it didn’t mean much in the course of the game. Except for the smiles. And in the post-game afterwards, “I’m just really enjoying coaching these guys.”

So as the players enter the SID office en route to the media room, a high five for the captain.

“Thanks. We’re 1-0 at home.”

A Season to Remember

By Courtney Tobe

Finley Amato scores against Cal

Each season the Davidson Field Hockey team has about 32 games on our schedule, which adds up to be roughly 128 games in a four year career at Davidson. While each and every individual game is unique and special, there are only a few that have a lasting impact and last Friday’s NorPac semifinal game against Cal Berkeley was one of those games.

While the outcome of Friday’s game was heartbreaking and not what any of us were hoping for, the fight and the effort that we put in was one that we only dreamed about before. For 70 minutes of regulation time and through two sudden victory overtimes we were perfect. Every player gave everything they had on and off the field. The character and the heart of this 2010 team were on full display as we played for our teammates and played for the love of the game and we hung with the Golden Bears. Before the largest crowd of our season, and one filled with parents, friends, alums, and a team of rivals we made a statement – Davidson Field Hockey plays with commitment, opportunity, and heart and we are not to be taken lightly. This team set a precedent, breaking all kinds of school and individual records. We defined the new face of Davidson Field Hockey and set the expectations high and I know that future D.C.F.H. teams will follow in our footsteps.

On behalf of the seniors, I would like to thank the team. We could not have asked for a better way to spend our senior season than playing with a group of girls that love, support, and challenge each other on and off the field as much as we do! Keep up the hard work, because you girls are amazing and we can’t wait to see you all represent D.C.F.H. in the years to come! Thanks to all the parents, alums, and fans for the support and for following along with Behind the Scenes with D.C.F.H. I look forward to reading about the amazing success of D.C.F.H. teams for years to come. –Tobe #7

A New Story

By Lauren Biggers

Davidson vs. Lenoir-Rhyne

I’ve been asked lots of times (no, seriously!) over the last few weeks if I was going to write this blog again. The answer was always “OF COURSE!!”, but in the back of my mind, I had some doubts. As much as I struggled at times to write about last year’s team, how would I ever write about this one?

Like most of you, I had gotten emotionally connected (and thrown all objective journalism standards out the window in the process...) to this Davidson basketball story. I wasn’t quite sure how to write a different one.

But before the first jump ball of the 2010-11 season, I heard from three of four members of the “Class of 2010.” One showed up in the doorway, unexpectedly, on Friday. One twittered. One called. As I answered, I said “OH MY GOSH. You are literally supposed to be running out of the tunnel right now.” And we listened to “Welcome to the Jungle” together. It was as if they were telling me, in their own ways, it’s OK. You can get emotionally attached to this team, too.

And so I will. Of course. If you have read my stuff for long enough, you know you won’t find a whole lot about basketball here. I’m not going to break down the defense, or discuss how many minutes so-in-so played or didn’t and why. There are other avenues for that, and also... you must know by now, I’m just not very good at it. Instead I will, as Richard Terry said, help you get to know this team, and I will try to be entertaining in the process.

But you will have to bear with me, because I am getting to know them at the same time. So much so, that when I got the starters from the man-in-stripes Lee Jones, I had to refer to the roster to see who #23 and #40 actually were. (And to Ms. Downing, a big apology from the SID department. #31 is definitely on this team.)

And our first chance to see them in game-time action in 2010-11, sure, the result wasn’t quite the one we all hoped for. Though, as I overheard Big Ben Allison say to a fan after the volleyball game, ever-so-politically correct that it made me smile, “It’s always nice to get a win.”

After the game everybody wants to know, why did we only beat LR by four points? Literally, everybody. A glance at the box score shows some pretty obvious answers. Make more shots. Hit more free throws. Give some credit to #23 in black.

In the press room after, the question: So Coach, when you play an exhibition, are you just messing with your lineup for the regular season?

“Well, I don’t mess with much.”

See, there’s a picture we found this off season that has now made it to the Wall of Fame on my bulletin board, showing a family of five McKillops. The high-school daughter, the middle-school brother, the youngest in elementary school. Everybody looks dramatically different. Except one. Probably 15 years earlier, same perfect suit, same perfect hair. Because he doesn’t mess with much.

PS. I think we’re going to have some fun this year.

Costumes and Championships

By Courtney Tobe

The Class of 2011 as the Golden Girls

This past Saturday was one of my favorite DCFH traditions, Halloween Practice. Each year the competition is extremely fierce, as each class chooses a costume that remains a secret to the other classes until it is revealed on the day of Halloween practice when we show up at the turf. Although there is never an “official” winner of the costume contest, our team gets very into it and the pressure to impress is always high. This year the coaches were Carebears, the freshmen were a six-pack of Natural Light, the sophomores were the starting five from the Davidson basketball team, the juniors were the racers from Mario Kart, and the seniors were the Golden Girls. It was extremely successful and everyone looked great, but if I had to pick a winner I would say the seniors took the cake (ok, maybe I’m a little biased, but we did look great!).

The weekend was all about the seniors anyway, because senior day followed Halloween practice on Sunday. The team always does a great job of making the seniors feel special by making beautiful signs and writing a short speech for each senior girl. The senior ceremony before the game was great and the day was even better as we secured a 6-1 win over Appalachian State and clinched the NorPac East Division regular season championship. We had a ton of fans and family members who came out to show their support and it was a great way to finish up our regular season.

Now it’s NorPac time. This year, our conference tournament will take place on our home turf right here in Davidson, and we could not be more thrilled! Competition starts tomorrow and we face our first opponent, Pacific, at 4 p.m. Games continue Thursday through Saturday, and we believe we have a chance to make a big statement in NorPacs this year!! Come out and show your support! Keep following along for more behind the scenes moments with D.C.F.H. Go Cats, Take NorPac!! –Tobe #7

D.C.F.H. Goes North

By Courtney Tobe

About a week and a half ago the Davidson Field Hockey team set off on the whirlwind adventure that is a D.C.F.H. fall break.

This year we crossed the Mason-Dixon line and traveled all the way up North to Providence, Rhode Island for three games of competition. With senior forward and co-captain Jennie Mostellar on our team, the trip became an adventure as soon as we made it to the Charlotte airport. Although she has flown many times, Jennie has an intense fear of flying. From the moment we set foot in the Charlotte airport, Jennie was a nervous wreck, but thanks to her teammates distraction techniques Jennie made it through the flight and our plane safely landed in Providence.

Given the conservative nature of our budget, the hotels that we stay in for our away trips are more typically along the lines of a Holiday Inn rather than the Ritz Carlton, but this trip we lucked out! As we pulled up to The Biltmore Providence and saw the Chandeliers that hung from the ceiling in the lobby we all thought that the vans had taken us to the wrong place. Ginny assured us that we were, in fact, at the right hotel and that it was not a trick, but when we saw the rooms we still couldn’t believe we were staying there. There were two king sized beds, a sitting room, a walk-in closet, and most importantly a plasma flat-screen T.V. We enjoyed three nights in this luxurious hotel, and it was the perfect resting place to prepare for the big weekend of games ahead of us.

We played three games in Providence and walked away from the weekend 1 and 2. We had a great win against Brown on Saturday and nearly everyone off the bench got a chance to play, which was really exciting to see. We also had several Davidson students, parents, and alums make the trip to Brown to watch us play on Friday and Monday. Paul and Jan Willis, parents of D.C.F.H. ’08 alum Jen Willis, drove three hours just to come to our Saturday game against Brown, and Mrs. Willis brought with her a batch of her famous chocolate caramel brownies (a treat that the seniors enjoyed at every tailgate our freshmen year and have missed them dearly ever since).

Although we didn’t come out with as many wins as we would have liked, the trip was a great team bonding experience and a nice chance to get off of campus for a bit. When we got back from the trip, we went straight back to work because we had a huge game against VCU on Saturday. We put up a hard fight, but unfortunately couldn’t pull out a win and moved our record to 10-5.

Losing is never fun, but we are coming up to the part of the season that truly counts, conference play. We only have four regular season games left and they are all conference games. We start with two away games, one against Appalachian State this Thursday, and another one against Longwood this Saturday. We are extremely excited to take on these teams and try to hold on to our lead in the East division of the NorPac, but we know that they are going to be extremely tough. Both teams are going to be out to get us, but we are ready to do whatever it takes to win.

Keep following along for more behind the scenes action with D.C.F.H. Go Cats! –Tobe #7

Mediocrity, McKillop, and Midterms

By Courtney Tobe


Being a Davidson student athlete is always hard work, but some weeks are worse than others. This past week the entire Davidson Field Hockey team has been struggling with an amount of work that requires more time than there are hours in a day, making midterms week one of those more challenging weeks. Stress levels rise, sleep becomes compromised, and the last thing you feel you have time for is practice, but out of commitment to your team you go anyways.

Commitment is a core value of D.C.F.H. and this past Friday Davidson Basketball Coach Bob McKillop came to talk to us about the important role that commitment plays in building a successful team. He emphasized how Davidson students continually wage war on mediocrity in the classroom and on the field and stressed how important it is to hold ourselves and our teammates accountable of accepting nothing less than the best at every practice and in every game.

Coach McKillop’s words definitely struck a chord with our team in our game against NorPac rival Longwood. We had a slow start and at halftime found ourselves down 2 to 1. Longwood’s lead increased to 4 to 2 early on in the second half, but after Longwood scored their fourth goal something clicked in all of our heads. We knew that we were settling. We knew we could play better, and rather than letting the score keep us down we decided to rage war on mediocrity and put 5 goals in the cage in the second half alone to win the game 6 to 4.

Our never give up attitude is a classic example of what makes this D.C.F.H. team standout. Coach McKillop challenged us to make history and we are well on our way to doing it. With midterms over and Fall Break finally here, we hope to catch up on some much needed sleep and continue our winning streak with a trip to Providence, R.I. where we will face Brown, Maine, and Sacred Heart. Three games in four days will be challenging, but we are excited to face some new opponents and to spend some time together as a team outside of Davidson. Keep following along for more behind the scenes action with D.C.F.H. Happy Fall Break and Go Cats! –Tobe #7

Team Together

By Courtney Tobe

Every season has a defining moment, one that challenges everything that you’ve worked for and changes the course of the season, but this past weekend was one for the record books.

Maybe it was junior forward Christine Rua’s goal with only one second left on the clock, or Sarah Fisher’s save in penalty strokes against Georgetown, or maybe even the intensity felt from the DCFH sidelines, the weekend was filled with so many memorable moments to point to just one would be impossible. The whole weekend was a defining moment, and people noticed. The team has received several texts, e-mails, and facebook messages from various members of the DCFH community, all expressing their excitement for our team.

Although to know that we’ve got people talking is a great feeling, I don’t think anyone is more excited than the team ourselves. One of the most noticeable things about this DCFH team is that first and foremost we are a TEAM. We are not defined by a superstar, but rather we are a group of 23 individuals with different strengths and weaknesses that fit perfectly together to form who we are. Our desire to see our teammates thrive on and off the field has taken first priority this season and is the reason our team has been so successful thus far. We keep improving because we keep challenging each other and demanding more from each other in practice, and the intensity is going to have to be taken up a notch once again as our season continues. With a record of 8-2, teams are going to have it out for us. We are a target and we are going to have to work extremely hard to not allow any let-downs.

This Saturday, our conference game against Longwood will be a huge test for us. We hope to have several fans out on Saturday because not only is it a huge game for us, but it is also our STICK IT TO CANCER promotional game. Please come out and show your support for the Davidson Field Hockey team and cancer awareness. Keep following along for more behind the scenes action with DCFH. Go Cats! – Tobe #7