2023 Field Hockey Season Preview

GAMBIER, Ohio — The Kenyon College field hockey team heads into 2023 with its sights set on a 10th consecutive season with a .500 or better record. The Owls are looking to return to the conference tournament after narrowly missing out on postseason play last season.

2022 Review:

• 10-7 overall record, including 5-2 at home and 5-4 on the road
• 4-4 mark in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), tying for fourth in the standings 

NCAC Preseason Poll:

The Owls were predicted to finish fourth out of 11 teams, according to preseason balloting of the league coaches. Ohio Wesleyan finished first with 115 points and eight first-place votes. DePauw (two first-place votes) and Denison (one first-place vote) tallied 107 and 104 points, respectively, ahead of Kenyon’s 85 points. Allegheny (78), Wittenberg (66), Washington & Jefferson (56), Wooster (49), Earlham (23), Transylvania (23), and Oberlin (20) rounded out the preseason standings.

Key Returners:

• Grace Lane – Second Team All-NCAC, 12 points, 5 goals, 2 assists
• Lucy Scott – Third Team All-NCAC, team-high 1025 minutes, two defensive saves
• Kiersten Hoffmann – 13 points, 5 goals, team-high 3 assists
• Megan Lydon – Started 5 games in goal, led team in saves (44), goals against average (1.56), and save percentage (.759)

Key Departures:

• Bella Kern – Second Team All-NCAC, team leader in points (18), goals (8), shots (52), and shots on goals (35)
• Lydia Turk – Second Team All-NCAC, second-most minutes (987)
• Payton Doan – Started 12 of 17 games in goal, 5-5 record, 1.97 goals against average, 36 saves, .692 save percentage

Schedule Overview:

• Season opener: Friday, September 1, at 2 p.m. at Rhodes College
• Home Opener: Saturday, September 9, at noon vs. Washington and Lee University
• NCAC Opener: Wednesday, September 13, at 7 p.m. at Oberlin College
• Four-Team NCAC Tournament: November 1-4

How to Follow: 

Fans can follow Kenyon field hockey throughout the season via the following links:

• Live coverage (stats and video) – https://athletics.kenyon.edu/live 
• Twitter and Instagram – @KenyonSports
• YouTube – @KenyonAthletics