GETTYSBURG, Pa. – With results nearly identical to those in 2008, the Gettysburg College field hockey team finished another successful season in 2009, finishing 14-5 while qualifying for the Centennial Conference playoffs for the seventh year in a row.

The Bullets both started and concluded the regular season with aplomb, leading off and concluding with five-game winning streaks. The Orange & Blue finished with the same 8-2 record against league opponents that they had in 2008, good for second place in the conference standings. The Bullets were ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III National Poll every week during the season, with a high point of 13th, a rank they held for three weeks, and finished at No. 17.

All five of the Bullets' losses came at the hands of nationally-ranked opponents.

“I was very pleased throughout the season with our consistency as a team. In most games we played very well on both ends of the field, and didn't have to rely on just our defense or just our offense to keep us competitive,” said head coach Barb Jordan. “The team responded to adversity and defeats with a very positive attitude and determination. There are always highs and lows in a season, and this team was always able to pick themselves up from the lows and get us back on track. They were an absolute pleasure to work with everyday.”

The story of the season was defense, as the team, led by senior goalkeeper Christina Anderson (Dunkirk, Md. / The Calverton School), set a school record for most shutouts in a season, with 10. Anderson and the defense allowed just two goals during their season-opening five-game winning streak, with three of the wins coming by shutout. The streak included a dominating 3-0 victory over Christopher Newport, ranked No. 14 at the time, and was capped by a 2-1 overtime win at Catholic, as senior Nina Emala (Baltimore, Md./Bryn Mawr) scored the game-winning goal 4:33 into the extra session.

A brutal mid-season schedule included road games at Johns Hopkins and Lebanon Valley, both ranked No. 8 at the time of the contest, No. 4 Ursinus, Elizabethtown, and Bryn Mawr, home games against up-and-coming Haverford, rival Franklin & Marshall, and concluded with a matchup against top-ranked and eventual national runner-up Messiah. The Bullets hung tough against Johns Hopkins, losing 2-1 in penalty strokes, and also lost to Lebanon Valley and Ursinus, the eventual conference champion and national runner-up.

Led by the stingy defense of Anderson, and timely scoring by junior Alyssa Heimbach (Palm, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) and senior Lexie Hearn (Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich), the Orange & Blue pulled off victories against both Haverford and Franklin & Marshall, despite being outshot 29-7 in the two contests, and won a hard-fought 1-0 contest against Elizabethtown in which they did not allow a single shot attempt. The 7-0 victory over Bryn Mawr featured goals by six different players, and a season-high shot total of 45, of which 38 were on goal.

The difficult mid-season competition prepared the Bullets well, as they coasted down the stretch, winning their final five games. The defense, led by Anderson, Heimbach, and senior midfielders Vanessa Pabon (New Oxford, Pa./New Oxford) and Emala, was spectacular, allowing just one goal over the five games. The defensive unit was particularly stingy in wins over Dickinson and Swarthmore, holding their opponents to zero and one shots each, in the victories.

Gettysburg earned the second seed in the Centennial Conference playoffs, matching up with third-seeded Johns Hopkins. Looking for revenge after their penalty-stroke loss in September, the Bullets gave the Blue Jays everything they could handle, and once again the 70 minutes of regulation was not enough time to decide the victor. Trailing 4-3, Gettysburg earned a penalty corner in the waning seconds of the game. A tough shot by freshman Katie Savage (Moorestown, N.J. / Moorestown) was turned aside by the keeper, giving Gettysburg a second penalty corner after the clock read 0:00, but they were unable to convert, and Johns Hopkins eked out the victory.

Several Bullets were honored with post-season accolades following the conclusion of a terrific season, which saw the team finish among the conference leaders in many statistical categories, including shutouts (second, 10), goals against average (second, 1.38), and scoring margin (third, 0.59).

Five players were named to the All-Centennial Conference Team, with Pabon and Hearn earning a spot on the first team. Senior midfielder Molly Latta (West Chester, Pa./Henderson) and Anderson were chosen to the second team, and Heimbach earned honorable mention recognition. It was Pabon's second straight selection to the first team, while Latta was recognized for the third time overall. Hearn, Anderson, and Heimbach were recognized as All-CC for the first time. Pabon was further honored, for the second year in a row, as the Bullets lone selection to the NFHCA All-Region team, again earning a spot on the second team.

Gettysburg's scoring was led by Hearn, with 10 goals and five assists for 25 points. Her seven game-winning goals tied her with Becky Griffith (1997) for second in single-season program history behind Meg Goddu's eight in 2005. Emala (seven goals, two assists) and Heimbach (five goals, five assists) were next with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Anderson was the goalie of record in every game; her 14 wins were tied for the fourth-best in program history, and her nine shutouts set a program single-season record.

Gettysburg's outstanding senior class of Anderson, Emala, Hearn, Latta, and Pabon ended their careers with a record of 48-26, for a winning percentage of 65 percent, winning at least 10 games and reaching the Centennial Conference playoffs in every season. Both Hearn and Anderson reached the top-10 in program history in several categories: Hearn finished her spectacular career, which included participation in all 74 contests, with a final program rank of seventh in points (76 on 31 goals and 14 assists) and goals (31), fifth in game-winning goals (12), and ninth in shots (178). Anderson finished second in shutouts (16), fourth in wins (27), and 10th in saves (146).

The loss of five starters will definitely be felt, as the Bullets look to replace their top two scorers, their goalkeeper, and two mainstays in the defensive midfield, but they will return five starters and 20 letterwinners, including all-conference Heimbach.

“We have some big shoes to fill with the graduation of five very talented seniors, but we have many younger players who learned so much from them, Jordan said. “I know they will step up next year and keep us rolling. I'm looking forward to the fall of 2010!”