When hiring a new coach, there is often an air of uncertainty surrounding the team. The new coach’s philosophies and attitude might not mesh with the players’.
When Amanda Janney was hired as coach, the members of the field hockey team said they looked to their offensive leader for some answers.
Junior forward Lindsay Holman has helped guide the Owls and first-year coach Janney through the first half of the season. Through 10 games this season, Holman has scored seven goals and accumulated 14 points.
Entering last weekend, Holman was tied for the Atlantic Ten Conference lead in goals scored, and tied for second in points. The junior, who accumulated three goals and five assists last season, has not missed a beat under Janney.
The first half of the season has been rigorous for Holman and the Owls, whose non-conference schedule featured four nationally ranked teams.
After coming out of the gate with 12 points in the first four games, Holman hit a dry spell. She had gone scoreless since Sept. 4, and in four games in that span the Owls scored just one goal. Holman bounced back Saturday, lifting the Owls to a 1-0 win over Delaware by scoring the game’s only goal.
After the game, Holman said she was relieved to get back on the scoreboard.
“It was really important for me to start scoring again,” she said. “We had really competitive teams we were going up against. I don’t know what happened [during the goal-less stretch].”
With the conference schedule still two weeks away, Janney said Holman is already in conference-season form.
“She’s definitely ready for A-10’s,” Janney said. “She’s shooting the ball well and I’m really confident she is just going to get more and more goals.”
Scoring seems to be Holman’s niche this season. By the fourth game, the 2004 All-A-10 First Team selection had already eclipsed her point total from last year. Holman said she can’t attribute this season’s success to anything she has done differently.
“I haven’t done much. It’s just a whole new environment with a brand-new coach and a brand-new team,” Holman said. “It’s not all me. My teammates have been pumping me up. It’s been a team thing.”
A big reason Holman doesn’t see a change in her own game is her focus on the team.
“I haven’t really set any personal goals. It’s more team goals that we’ve made,” she said. “We have goals within the game, [like] staying positive.”
Holman has made strides to be one of the best players in the conference, Janney said.
“She has really worked hard to become one of the best forwards in the nation,” Janney said. “Great speed, good game sense, really reads the field well, and works hard all the time. She is a complete player.”
After a rough beginning, Holman has helped the field hockey team put together three straight wins. But that’s not enough for Holman.
“We want to be undefeated in the A-10,” she said.”
Greg Otto can be reached at gregotto@temple.edu.
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