Photo by: Tim Cowie/DavidsonPhotos.com
Field Hockey Took More Steps Forward in 2024
11/14/2024 2:35:00 PM | Field Hockey
In a field hockey league like the Atlantic 10 — one of just four in the country to send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament — progress can be elusive and difficult to measure.
But in 2024, the Davidson Wildcats found a way, once again, to take some significant strides.
They climbed to fifth in the A-10 standings, earning three league wins for the first time since 2015. They also won seven games for the second straight year, while posting their best overall record (7-8) since 2011.
"I couldn't be more proud of the incredible growth and accomplishments we've achieved this season," said Wildcats coach Zoe Almquist, now six years into her tenure. "From setting new program milestones, to seeing our fantastic senior leadership drive us to new heights, to tremendous resilience in the face of anything this season threw our way … this team has truly redefined what it means to work, grow and compete."
The Wildcats' 2-0 win at La Salle on Oct. 20 was their first against the Explorers since 2015 and gave them back-to-back league wins (also Saint Louis) for the first time since 2021.
The 3-2 win over Lock Haven on Oct. 25 extended the A-10 win streak to three games, the Wildcats' longest since 2015.
Junior Sib Naaktgeboren, Davidson's leader with five goals and 14 points, earned A-10 Second Team honors for the second year in a row, becoming just the second Wildcat to be named to an A-10 All-Conference team in consecutive seasons (Melissa Funsten 2014, 2015).
Sophomore Matilda Collins, who anchored the defense and also contributed eight points, joined Naaktgeboren on the A-10 Second Team, giving her back-to-back postseason honors (All-Rookie Team in 2023).
Senior Abby Pompeo scored four goals en route to her second straight A-10 All-Academic selection and became the first Wildcat to earn that back-to-back honor.
Freshman Eva van der Kooi (2 goals, 1 assist) was selected to the All-Rookie Team, giving the Wildcats four postseason honorees, their most since the 2020 (spring 2021) season.
Almquist is encouraged by the growth and hopeful about what is next for the Davidson program.
"Team 49 has left this program better than we found it and laid the foundation for even more success moving forward," she said.
But in 2024, the Davidson Wildcats found a way, once again, to take some significant strides.
They climbed to fifth in the A-10 standings, earning three league wins for the first time since 2015. They also won seven games for the second straight year, while posting their best overall record (7-8) since 2011.
"I couldn't be more proud of the incredible growth and accomplishments we've achieved this season," said Wildcats coach Zoe Almquist, now six years into her tenure. "From setting new program milestones, to seeing our fantastic senior leadership drive us to new heights, to tremendous resilience in the face of anything this season threw our way … this team has truly redefined what it means to work, grow and compete."
The Wildcats' 2-0 win at La Salle on Oct. 20 was their first against the Explorers since 2015 and gave them back-to-back league wins (also Saint Louis) for the first time since 2021.
The 3-2 win over Lock Haven on Oct. 25 extended the A-10 win streak to three games, the Wildcats' longest since 2015.
Junior Sib Naaktgeboren, Davidson's leader with five goals and 14 points, earned A-10 Second Team honors for the second year in a row, becoming just the second Wildcat to be named to an A-10 All-Conference team in consecutive seasons (Melissa Funsten 2014, 2015).
Sophomore Matilda Collins, who anchored the defense and also contributed eight points, joined Naaktgeboren on the A-10 Second Team, giving her back-to-back postseason honors (All-Rookie Team in 2023).
Senior Abby Pompeo scored four goals en route to her second straight A-10 All-Academic selection and became the first Wildcat to earn that back-to-back honor.
Freshman Eva van der Kooi (2 goals, 1 assist) was selected to the All-Rookie Team, giving the Wildcats four postseason honorees, their most since the 2020 (spring 2021) season.
Almquist is encouraged by the growth and hopeful about what is next for the Davidson program.
"Team 49 has left this program better than we found it and laid the foundation for even more success moving forward," she said.
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