Sophomore goal keeper Angela Pasquini earned Freedom Conference Player of the Week honors four straight weeks during October for her play in the net.
Pasquini said she is honored by the recognition, but she credits her teammates rather than her own play.
“It was a big deal,” said Pasquini. “I had no idea what it was when I got it. I didn’t know how to react, so it’s a big deal. It’s an individual award. I was named for it, yes, but I definitely wouldn’t have gotten it without my team.”
Pasquini has recorded 171 saves.
She said it is important to make sure everyone works together and focuses on each game.
“Everybody on the team will make a mistake,” Pasquini said. “If they make a mistake, I’m there for them, and if I make a mistake, they’re definitely there for me too. It just happens to be at the goal line instead of the mid field.”
Head Coach Robyn Fedor Stahovic credited Pasquini for her terrific play and she was happy with the reward, despite her misgivings about individual awards for team sport.
“I struggle with awards like this,” said Stahovic. “Ange has been doing a great job for us. Ange has been working real hard for us in the cage. She’s been working really hard in the weight room and working hard all around to get herself prepared and ready for her job and her task. Every- body on the field has a job and a task, and she’s been doing all the little things right to get herself prepared. I think with this award, and Ange and I have talked about it and she’s talked to the team about it, this is a team award. Ange has been getting the recogni- tion and appreciates it more than anything, but she’s keeping it in perspective.”
With multiple awards like this, a young player like Pasquini could very easily have a target on her back when other players study the field hockey team, according to Stahovic.
She said she’s ready for the challenges, and she is looking forward to it.
“It’s a lot of pressure now,” said Pasquini. “Every other team knows who I am now, and I don’t want to say a standout, but they’re looking for me and they’re going to scout hard. It’s a challenge, it’s a great opportunity, but it also comes with its cons. I think I’m definitely ready for it. I know it’s a big responsibility, but it’s something I know I can handle and I know I have to keep it all in perspective and not let it all get to my head.”
One might easily believe Pasquini is building on the skill set she demonstrated last year, but Stahovic said Pasquini did not see the field at all during her fresh- man campaign.
“She didn’t see any playing time as a freshman. None,” said Stahovic. “She saw zero playing time as a freshman because we had two solid senior and junior goal keepers ahead of her.”
Knowing that spots for a goal- tender were opening made her work harder to earn one.
“For her, she really had to stay focused and determined knowing that her time was going to come, not knowing when that was going to be,” Stahovic said. “Coming into this year, she had to control her own destiny, she had to work hard, she needed to do all those things. You can practice all you want, but if you don’t get that in- game experience, you never know how things are going to pan out.”
The field hockey team registered one single digit win this season, but four of the losses hinged on one point, including a 2- 1 loss
to Franklin & Marshall College, which ranked 5th in the nation. Multiple close losses can take atoll on a team, Pasquini said the team’s ability to move forward mattered most.
“I focus on ‘that’s not going to happen the next game. We need to learn how to manage the clock,’” Pasquini said. “I think the big thing is managing the clock. Yes, we do it sometimes, and sometimes we don’t. Against F&M we only lost by one, 1:20 left. I know for the next game, we won’t do the things we did wrong, and we’re ready to go next time.”
“Last year we had a very tough year for us, but we all came back ready to play, and you can definitely tell we all want to win. Yes, we might not win every game, but we are definitely trying and mak- ing progress every single day.”