The Drew Women’s Field Hockey team saw the offseason following one of their most successful seasons in recent memory encapsulated by one underlying theme: Change.
While alterations both on the field and in the locker room tend to deter many teams off course, the Rangers have been able to take these changes in stride and accelerate to an extremely successful start to their 2024 season.
Posting the team’s most conference victories since the 2013 campaign, the Rangers’ field hockey team finished the 2023 season 7-9 overall and 3-6 in the Landmark Conference. The milestones continued as the 2024 season commenced, where they currently hold a 4-2 record through their first six games.
Led by Coach Summer Kortmann in her fourth season with the Rangers, the team faced noticeable changes as they transitioned into their newest season.
Jenna Seagrave, a former player at conference rival Moravian University, joined the team as an assistant coach. Jenna offers an insightful approach and a helping hand after playing against the Rangers throughout her collegiate career.
The 2023-2024 academic year also marked the end of seven seniors’ collegiate careers, all of whom made major contributions to the team’s success.
Four out of five defensive starters graduated, including starting goalkeeper and the team’s 2023 MVP Olyvia Jackson (C’24, ’25), who set a precedent for success between the posts.
Despite the absence of these leading scorers and the breakdown of the well-developed defense, Kortmann did not seem concerned as the new season began.
She said, “We had some big shoes to fill and there are some new faces playing integral parts to our success so far this season. Each year is a new puzzle and we have been working to find the right combinations across the field, and it has been fun to see the team buy-in and do well with the changes early on.”
The team has three rising seniors and a returning graduate student who have laid the foundation for a successful season.
Lauren Cagliostro (’25), Janelle Arch (’25), Tyler Olivio (’25) and Hana Johnston (C’24, ’25) served as leaders to help integrate the new faces into their playing style.
Their presence as leaders on the team became evident immediately, starting in the opening drive of the season.
In the team’s first game, against Fairleigh Dickinson University, known as the Battle of Madison Avenue, Cagliostro scored the game-winning goal seconds into overtime. This goal led the Rangers to secure the victory over the Devils for the first time since 2013.
In the home opener that followed, against Manhattanville University, Arch scored her first career hat trick, while Olivio scored in the opening minute and Cagliostro successfully sank a penalty shot.
Olivio tallied a goal apiece in each of the two home games that followed, leading the Rangers to a 3-2 victory against Neumann University and preventing a shutout by Husson University.
The Rangers traveled to Cedar Crest College on Sept. 11 and came home victorious again after scoring four goals, several of which were direct results of great passing–illustrating the physical embodiment of the chemistry that the team has been able to generate in the first month of working together. “They bring great energy and focus to practice and have been building on the progress of the program from the previous years,” said Kortmann.
While the strength of the returning leaders helped retain the team’s development in the ‘23-’24 season, the new consistent faces in the starting lineup have contributed heavily to the team’s success.
Taking over the starting position between the posts is Beth Kelly (‘27), who already achieved her first collegiate shutout, a monumental victory against a crosstown rival, as well as two other incredible wins in just her first few starts as a Ranger.
Emma Rider (‘27), Brooke Carlisle (‘27), Liriana Steferovic (‘27), Chandler Straub (‘27) and Emily Monaco (‘26) all had playing time last season, but truly left a mark in the first few games as consistent starters, posting four goals and four assists between them.
Newcomers Ellie Kopec (‘28), Emily Caparrino (‘28), Dominique Flores (‘28) and Samantha Izzo (‘28) all contributed to the first six games. Kopec achieved her first collegiate assist and Flores made her collegiate debut against Husson.
Looking forward to conference play, Kortmann said, “Our main focus is to just continue to grow and improve each time we step on the field for practices and games. We have a couple more non-conference games to continue to test ourselves and make adjustments before conference play begins, but we are excited and looking forward to the challenges and the strong competition that we will face in our Landmark opponents.”
The Rangers travel to Susquehanna University on Sept. 21 to begin Landmark Conference play before returning to play Western Connecticut State University at home on Sept. 25.
Gillian Sampson is a graduate student.
Images courtesy of Sierra Walker.
