By Lee Finkelstein

As students begin this 2014 semester, KU fall sports seem to be right around the corner. The women’s field hockey team is prepared to begin their season. The roster has endured almost an entire transformation from last year. There are three new captains and 13 freshmen that have joined the team. This all-new roster will play, grow and will be a successful club in the very near future.

“Our coaching staff is very excited for the talent level that will be coming into our program this fall,” head coach Marci Scheuing said. “We wanted to bring in a large class in our first year at Kutztown, and we met that goal. We also wanted to bring in more depth to our forward and midfield positions, which we also did. We believe that several of these freshmen will start right away and make an immediate impact on our program. 

Starting with the captains, Samantha Jacobson is about to begin her fourth year with the Golden Bears and is the only senior on the 2014 squad. She played in all 17 games last year at the forward position and has played in 34 career games while starting in seven. Jacobson’s experience will surely help out the younger players on the team. She is a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athlete and was named to the Dean’s List twice during her junior academic year.

Anna Behm will enter her junior season after a positive start as a college athlete. The Kutztown native began her career with an all-conference season in 2012. She started in all 17 games and led the team in scoring with eight goals for All-PSAC honors. She had 22 shots on goal to go along with one assist and 17 points. Last season, Behm started in all 12 of her games and scored seven goals as well as a career high six assists. Behm is also a PSAC Scholar-Athlete and is the Make-A-Wish Coordinator with the KU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Kayla Denlinger was the 2013 Coaches Award winner and will begin her junior season as a goalkeeper. She started the first 13 games of the season last year and finished with a 3.37 goals-against-average and had 106 saves. For her career, Denlinger has played in 19 games with a 4.23 GAA and a .725 save percentage.

Two new players on the roster to keep an eye out for are Morgan Aldinger from Upper Perk and Micaela Beaty from Archbishop Prendergast. Aldinger won a PAC-10 and a district championship this past year. Beaty led the Catholic League in scoring in her sophomore season and was a three-time All-Conference selection. She helped her team to the Catholic League Championship in 2012 and was named two-time All-Delaware County selection. The Golden Bears open the season on Saturday, Sept. 6 at home against Saint Anselm College at 12 p.m.