By Jacob Saylor<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood College\u2019s field hockey team has won nine straight games\u2014its longest winning streak in history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The wins come after two losses at the beginning of the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team won its ninth game against Southern Virginia College 5-0. Sophomore Kate Haufe scored a hat trick in the match with all three goals coming in the first half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Southern Virginia came into the game with a record of no wins and six losses this season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lauren Neebe, the only senior on the team, has witnessed field hockey\u2019s emergence. \u201cWatching this program grow throughout my four years here at Hood has been such an experience,\u201d Neebe said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team won only six games in each of their last two years, she noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having only one senior on the team means head coach Carley Shannon needs to train and rely on some younger and less-experienced players. Shannon attributes the team’s success to the returners pushing and helping the new players grow, as well as the new players coming in ready to work hard to win games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of those new players is Madeline Moreno, a first-year defensive player. Moreno says the team not only works hard but also expected to win games coming into the season. \u201cI think there is a little pressure in keeping the winning streak because it is the longest one we have had in program history and we want to keep it going as long as we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The competition is about to become more challenging as conference play begins. The field hockey team hasn\u2019t won a conference game since joining the MAC in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Conference play is scheduled to begin with a game against Widener. Hood will play seven conference games in hopes of making a push for the Middle Atlantic Conference playoffs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"