Field hockey notebook
The VCU field hockey team goes by a motto they call “heart from the start.” With tons of new positions being filled in the offseason, the Rams have made it a priority to keep the energy at a high level all season long.
Freshman Kendall Combs produced 11 shots Sunday against Appalachian State, five of which were on goal
Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter
The VCU field hockey team goes by a motto they call “heart from the start.”
With tons of new positions being filled in the offseason, the Rams have made it a priority to keep the energy at a high level all season long.
“We’ve got to get that fire and that absolute pure grit on the field,” junior captain Kelsey Scherrer said. “It’s definitely people being in new positions that’s the breakdown I believe, but as soon as we get that spark, that’s really our motto, and our goal is just to have a strong season going hard at all times.”
Just two games into the season, VCU (1-1) has already began putting its motto to work.
After dropping a hard-fought battle at No. 3 Virginia 8-1 Friday, the Rams bounced back Sunday morning, defeating Appalachian State 4-1.
Combs makes lasting first impression
In 2010, VCU reaped the benefits of a strong recruiting class by receiving solid contributions from All-CAA honorees Emilie Soares and Rymme van Dessel.
Just a year later, the Rams are beginning to see much of the same from another newcomer.
In Sunday morning’s match against the Mountaineers, Kendall Combs had a bit of a coming out party. The freshman forward, deemed a “spark plug” by head coach Kelly McQuade, notched two goals in the first eight minutes of her second collegiate appearance. The Suffolk, Va. native produced 11 shots, five of which were on goal, to lead the Rams to their first win of the 2011 season.
The performance earned Combs CAA Co-Rookie of the Week honors alongside Delaware’s Kelsey McKee.
Scherrer inching way towards record books
Stepping into a new role as captain, Kelsey Scherrer knew the pressure would be on her to produce.
Two games into the season, she has kept a cool head, scoring goals in both of the Rams outings and slinking her way even closer towards the record books.
With Sunday’s late-game insurance goal against Appalachian State, Scherrer now has 28 goals and 67 points in 39 career outings, leaving her just 11 goals shy of becoming VCU’s all time-leader (Alycia Yoder, 38).
Windy city road trip
Following a pair of games in Virginia, VCU will continue its non-conference slate by heading to Chicago this weekend to take on a feisty Northwestern (2-0) team that has shutout both of its opponents so far this season. The following day, the Rams face Albany (1-0) on a neutral Northwestern site. The Great Danes are coming off of a season in which they won the American East championship before falling to Ohio State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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Photo by: VCU Athletics
