The Kenyon College women’s field hockey team is hoping pedigree comes to stand for something this season.
After a run of consistency matched by few other programs across the country, the Ladies enter this season with a new coach and just 16 players who have played at the collegiate before.
Still, confidence remains extremely high for a program that hasn’t suffered a losing season in nearly a decade and a team that still has several key holdovers from a 2019 squad that went 15-4 and claimed a share of the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season title.
Morgan Brozena kicks off her tenure at Kenyon after serving as coach at Cedar Crest College last season. The dynamic duo of high-scoring senior Sarah Metzmaier and junior Payton Doan figure to make her transition much easier than it might be otherwise.
In 50 career games, Metzmaier has bagged 23 goals and 50 points, including coming just two goals short of tying the school’s all-time single season record in 2019 with 16 scores. The high-scoring feat was enough to net Metzmaier NCAC Offensive Player of the Year honors to go along with being tabbed an All-Region and All-America selection by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Doan’s star power shines just as brightly for the Ladies, though her job description over the last two seasons couldn’t more different.
In 2019, the Ladies’ star goalkeeper posted a 0.48 goals against average and an .830 save percentage over 19 games in leading Kenyon to an overall 14-2 mark. Her goals-against average was the best among all NCAA Division III goalkeepers, and her save percentage was the 10th best in the country.
Seniors Isabella Meneguzzi (four goals, three assists) and Emma Hyer are also back from the 2019 powerhouse team, as is the junior trio of Carolyn Herbosa, Lydia Turk and Bella Kern, who notched six goals in 19 games off the bench.
Brozena is hoping that is enough of a nucleus to answer all of the lingering questions and keep the Ladies charging in the right direction this season.
Kenyon opens its season on the road on Sept. 1 against rival Ohio Wesleyan University at Selby Stadium.
On Sept. 4, the Ladies traveled to Virginia to face William & Lee University before returning for home matches against Centre College and Washington and Jefferson College.
