Dodgers Field Hockey Set to Defend State Crown

Coming off of a state championship season always makes for an interesting debate. Can the team repeat? Has it lost too many leaders? Can the underclassmen step up and fill the void?

For the Madison Dodgers field hockey team, those are a few of the questions that linger as it tries to duplicate the success from a year ago, a year in which Madison finished the season 22-1-2 while winning conference, county and state titles.

Certainly that's a difficult task, made even more difficult considering Madison lost its three captains to Division I colleges and its starting goalie, Avery Koep.

Chelsea Davies has moved on to play at the University of Richmond. Christa Romano graduated and will play for Quinnipiac University, and Rachel Misko is headed to Bucknell University to join its field hockey team. Koep is headed to Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa.

"We lost three Division I players from last season, but I expect our returning varsity players to step up," said head coach Ann Marie Davies. "I think that we're going to have to really work a lot harder than in the past, because we have a lot of inexperienced players. But they're really stepping up."

The difference for the Dodgers, though, just might sit with the head coach. Davies, entering her 30^th season at Madison High, has seen impact players move on to college teams many times in the past, and knows what it takes to continue winning.

""Our key players have to do what they've always done. Play hard and lead the team," she said.

But after an almost perfect 2009 campaign, rumors of her retirement began to swirl.

"We all thought she wasn't going to come back this season, but we're all very happy that she decided to," senior captain Mackenzie Ellis said. "We all work really well with her and have a lot of tradition. It's good she's back."

Davies expounded on her decision to hold off on retirement after last season saying, "It all depended on my daughter because she's going on to play at Richmond this year. But I was able to get an assistant coach, so it's given me a little flexibility and everyone is willing to work with me. That's why I decided to come back."

Another major strength of this team is its harmony, which appears to be as strong as ever.

"We're all very close. We have that unity that a team needs to be successful," captain Allison Helwig explained. "We work really well together, so when we figure out where we need to be, once we get the entire picture, it will be perfect because we have unity and a connection."

With three new captains and a number of returning starters, aspirations are high, as is the Dodgers' confidence, even though they understand that it won't be easy.

"We're clearly looking for the same outcome as last season and we've been working really hard to achieve the same goals," Madison defender and captain Brielle Dalena said after practice. "We definitely lost a bunch of great players from last year's team, but we're working hard."

"It's going to be a hard season; we're going to have a lot to get through, but I'm hoping that we're going to get another state championship under our belts," Ellis added.

Madison begins its title defense on Friday at home against The Peddie School.

What's your favorite Dodgers squad? Whichever team you root for, we'll have you covered in the upcoming days with previews of each team. Here is when you can look for those stories:

• Tuesday - Field Hockey
• Wednesday - Boys Soccer
• Thursday - Girls Soccer
• Friday - Football
• Saturday - Girls Tennis
• Sunday - Girls Volleyball
• Monday - Cross Country