On Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2012, Wissahickon seniors Lauren Becker and Zoe Kale were recognized for signing letters of intent to play field hockey at the collegiate level.
Lauren Becker – Stanford University (Field Hockey)
Major: Communications or Law
Final list of schools: Stanford, UNC, Villanova, Penn State, Boston College, Princeton
Reasons for choosing Stanford: “I always wanted to go to Stanford, and when I went out for a visit and stayed over with the girls, the girls and the coaches won me over. It’s also a great academic school, and their field hockey is always top 10.”
What was the progression that led you to playing field hockey at the collegiate level? “I also played soccer, and I had to decide between soccer and field hockey. I thought I was better at field hockey than soccer, and I would have a better chance. Just playing with my club team, True North – I have been playing with those girls since I was 12. It really made me enjoy field hockey and want to pursue it in college.”
Assistant coach Shelley Meier says: ‘Lauren is so decisive, and her stickwork is so fine tuned – she’s so quick, and she can do little tiny moves that can gain her big ground. She just has such finesse when she has the ball, and she can really trip people up that way. She can really play anywhere. I loved her as a center mid, and I really liked her as a center forward too. She’s good at receiving and knowing where to go next, so it was good to have her in the center. People were confident if she was near them because they knew her skill level was so high that if they were in a bad spot she could take the ball and do something magical with it. In the circle, she was such a force. I was always happy with how much she would lift the ball on the cage. It’s frustrating when players don’t do that, but she was really good at having a varied shot. She was always hard to defend.
“Lauren also did a lot behind the scenes and was kind of the secretary of the team. She took a lot of that stuff on, and I admired that.”
About Lauren:
Favorite food: Cookie dough
Favorite movie: The Notebook
Favorite music: Taylor Swift
Zoe Kale – Northeastern University (Field Hockey)
Major: Undeclared
Final list of schools: Northeastern, American, Boston College, Michigan
Reasons for choosing Northeastern: “I really liked the city atmosphere, I liked how young it felt, and I really liked the co-op program they have.”
What was the progression that led you to playing field hockey at the collegiate level? “In my freshman year, I knew I wanted to play some kind of collegiate sport, but I didn’t know if I wanted to play D-3 or D-1. I went to the National Hockey Festival in California my freshman year, and that was when it started. By the end of my sophomore year, I definitely knew I wanted to play D-1. I couldn’t really see myself doing anything else.”
Assistant coach Shelley Meier says: “Zoe played defense, and she was always very consistent and very strong. I really admired her because she was patient as a defender. She never lost her footing or would charge at people. Her personality is just wonderful. She’s just a natural leader, and she is very kind and motivating to everyone else on the field. Girls would always like to play in front of her, and that’s always a big compliment if they want to be the mid in front of you. She’s just a really good team player. She was very strong on corners, she has a really good field sense, and just the knowledge about who was the most dangerous player and who she should be going after – when to block tackle and when to jab. She had great endurance. She could just go on forever.
“Both Zoe and Lauren were very mature for their age, and they brought that onto the field. They kept their mouths shut, they were very sportsmanlike, and I always appreciated that.”
About Zoe:
Favorite food: Macaroni and cheese
Favorite movie: The Notebook
Favorite music: Jack Johnson
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