GETTYSBURG, Pa. – While most teams might be trying to find their groove following a near two-year layoff from intercollegiate action, the Gettysburg College field hockey will seek to capitalize on an experienced and deep lineup ready for another opportunity at a postseason run.
 
Like the majority of Division III teams, the Bullets witnessed their 2020 campaign cancelled due to the pandemic. The time away from the field only served to fuel the fire to compete on the collegiate stage for the 34 student-athletes on the roster for Head Coach Barb Jordan's 20th season at Gettysburg.
 
"It has been so much fun to see how excited the players are to be back on the field playing and having fun with one another," said Jordan, who is the program's all-time leader in wins with a record of 174-146. "Some of our upperclassmen have never even played on our new field, so it's been even more special for them."
 
Among those 34 players, 21 have never played competitively on Shirk Field, including a big group of 15 first-year players. That does not mean the team isn't without its share of experience, led by eight seniors who are focused on getting the team back into the Centennial Conference playoffs.
 
"I think our strength should be our depth," noted Jordan. "We have a very large squad so I'm hopeful that we can keep fresh legs on the field and play fast. Our weakness, like many teams, may be that there are really two classes trying to get acclimated to the college game, so we are really trying to be as competitive as possible at practice."
 
Four seniors will serve as team captains this fall: Emma Bertrando (West Chester, Pa./Henderson), Henna Fraiman (Lutherville, Md./Roland Park Country), Christina Orio (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), and Noa Potoczak (Medford, N.J./Shawnee). Bertrando, a three-time all-conference selection who scored a team-leading 27 points in 2019, took a gap year away from Gettysburg so she could return to the team this fall.
 
The remaining four seniors – Lauren Beccaria (Fairfield, Conn./Fairfield Ludlowe), Madeleine Pagliaro (Wilton, Conn./Wilton), Angie Scheuermann (Monroeville, Pa./The Ellis School), and Eilene Besselman (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Mechanicsburg) – give Jordan added depth and experience in all parts of the field. Beccaria was the team's third-best scorer with 25 points in 2019.
 
Members of the junior class who played for Gettysburg in 2019 include Jenna Vadinsky (Bridgewater, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan), Katie Shaffer (Dalmatia, Pa./Line Mountain), Alyssa Ritchie (Baldwin, Md./Notre Dame Prep), Maura Farinelli (Canonsburg, Pa./Peters Township), and Jill Ahlgren (Mercersburg, Pa./Mercersburg Academy). Vadinsky started all 20 games as a first-year midfielder in 2019, while Shaffer and Ritchie also saw time in the starting lineup as defenders two seasons ago.
 
"Our seniors and juniors obviously have the most experience so we will look to them to be impactful on and off the field," said Jordan. "And then we also hope that a few of our sophomores and first years will step up this season. It's going to be a big transition for them to the college game, and there's not much time to do it. We have encouraged them to really look to the upper class as examples of the intensity and pace with which we need to play in order to be successful."
 
The last time Gettysburg took the field was against No. 6 Johns Hopkins University in the semifinals of the CC playoffs. Despite trailing 5-0 at the end of the third quarter, the Bullets never backed down and pulled within a goal heading into the final minute of the game. Johns Hopkins held on for the win on the way to capturing the conference title and marching all the way to the national semifinals.
 
The Blue Jays weren't the only Centennial team in the national tournament in 2019 as Franklin & Marshall College made it to the championship game after upending Johns Hopkins in the semis. The Blue Jays and Diplomats ranked 1-2 in the CC Preseason Coaches Poll, while Ursinus College grabbed the No. 3 spot. Bryn Mawr College and Dickinson College slipped just in front of Gettysburg with the three teams separated by only three points in the preseason ballot.
 
The Bullets' primary goal is to battle it out with the top teams in the country and stake a claim on a postseason berth this fall. From there, it's anybody's ballgame and Jordan believes her team is capable of making a run into the national tournament.
 
"It's really going to be about playing at a high level consistently and taking advantage of any scoring opportunities we have created in the offensive end, and building a strong line of defense on the other end of the field."
 
Gettysburg kicks off the campaign with a non-conference game at Shenandoah University on Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 7 p.m. The first home game is slated for Saturday, Sept. 4, at 1 p.m. against Lebanon Valley College. Spectators are welcome and masks are not required at Shirk Field. Masks are required within any indoor spaces on campus.  
 
For those that can't make it to home games, follow along with live video and live stats.