This article is from the EMU News Archive. The approximate date of publication was in November 2003. Current EMU news is available at www.emu.edu/news

TO EMU HEADLINE NEWS | ATHLETICS

EMU Faces Messiah Today

By MICHAEL ROTHSTEIN
Daily News-Record

Kristin Moyer was reduced to a sloppy bucket of tears.

Watching her response during Eastern Mennonite University’s 2-1 win over Virginia Wesleyan in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference field hockey final Saturday, the casual observer probably would have thought EMU had lost the game.

Exactly the opposite happened, but Moyer – who described herself as an emotional wreck Saturday – couldn’t help it. The victory erased bitter memories of losing in the past two ODAC semifinals.

With the conference championship came a bid to the NCAA Division III field hockey tournament, where the Royals will face Messiah College today at Salisbury (Md.) State University at 1 p.m.

"You feel more important," Moyer said of being at the NCAAs. "We’re one of the top teams in the nation and we’re playing one of the top teams in the nation. It means a lot more. If you lose, you’re done."

The NCAA divides the 18-team playoff field into four regionals hosted by participating teams, so being on the road wasn’t a surprise to EMU field hockey coach Brenda Bechler.

Actually, she was happy considering EMU (17-3) could have been sent to the more northern outposts: Cortland, N.Y., Middlebury, Vt., or Ewing, N.J.

"We’re not going to New York, where it’s colder, winder and possibly even snowy," Bechler said.

Bechler’s next job: convincing her team it shouldn’t settle for being participants.

Only Bechler and Moyer had been to the NCAA tournament before as players. Moyer was on the last EMU team to reach the NCAA playoffs, in 2000. Bechler qualified when she was an EMU student in 1992.

Besides those two, all of the Royals are new to the NCAA experience. Moyer and Bechler have been filling them in all week. There’s still one chat left: the just-happy-to-be-here mentality.

"We’re having that talk tonight," Bechler said Thursday. "The first year I went, it was the first year EMU had gone. We were just happy to be there and I’m going to talk to them and tell them to not settle for that. I think they’ll play well."

Messiah (13-3), a traditional D-III power, finished the season ranked No. 5 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll. EMU, which is making its ninth trip to the tournament, is ranked No. 8.

With two wins, EMU would qualify for the Final Four, something Moyer talked with the team about during the preseason.

Moyer recognizes every game from here on could be her last. So she’s packed a little bit more tissues, win or lose today.

"I can probably shed a few tears tomorrow," Moyer said. "It won’t be as bad as Saturday. I was an emotional wreck on Saturday."

 

Posted: November 14, 2003