The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

The Oldest College Newspaper in Pennsylvania

The Lafayette

A step up

Senior Amanda Magadan takes her play to the national level

Lafayette Field Hockey ended a 9-10 season with a loss in the first round of the Patriot League tournament to American. For senior captain Amanda Magadan, however, the season hadn’t quite ended yet.

After finishing with a superb ten goals and four assists, Magadan moved onto her next challenge—competing in a friendly match for the Senior Women’s National Field Hockey Team.

Already a member of the under-21 national team, her inclusion in the senior squad offered up exciting possibilities for the future.

“It was a really cool experience. I was pretty excited,” Magadan said.  “I don’t know yet if I have aspirations to play with the national team, but it was still something cool to say I’ve done.”

This particular match was an opportunity for rising stars in the national field hockey community to not only gain some experience with veterans on the senior team, but get to know them as well.

“A lot of the other girls I’ve played with on the U-21 team, and some of the older girls I knew, and some of them I didn’t,” Magadan said, “so it was nice meeting them and connecting with some of the new national players at the same time.”

For the most part, members of the senior squad hail from much larger schools than Lafayette, with the likes of the University of North Carolina, Princeton and Syracuse representing a large portion of the team.

Being chosen from such a vast talent pool is no light accomplishment, especially given that some members of the under-21 team hadn’t even yet graduated high school.

Surrounded by so many young prodigies and big-time university stars, Magadan prefers to point to her long-term development through the support of her coaches and teammates rather than her natural gifts as the reason for her success.

“I think my coach has really developed me and pushed me to be a better person, in field hockey and all aspects,” Magadan said.  “Her support during my athletic development is something I take pride in in our relationship. She came to my game on Saturday…Her showing that support and taking the time to be with me is something I value.”

Recruited as a balanced player, Magadan doesn’t view herself as a star on the field, but rather as a jack-of-all-trades who puts in time and effort off the field to neutralize her weaknesses.  Her central role in the attacking portion of the field calls for just that type of dependable rounded skill set.

“I think I gain a lot of my skills through hard work, but I don’t really have a particular skill I’m good at, I’m just well-rounded because I work hard at everything,” Magadan said.

As a captain, her leadership reflects a desire to play the game and have fun doing it.

“A lot of my team would perceive me as a leader, but someone who tries to lead more by example, and also someone who tries to lighten the mood a lot,” Magadan said. “I don’t think I’m very strict or serious as a leader—I want to work hard, but also have fun.”

In spite of her tested potential, Magadan remains coy on her chances of playing with the team in the future. Such a difficult and uncertain commitment is no quick decision to make.

“If I don’t make the national team, I’m thinking of potentially going to grad school,” Magadan said. “It’s kind of one of those things…I do aspire to potentially be on the national team, but you have to move to Lancaster in the middle of nowhere.”

“But you do get to do something you love every day,” she continued. “It’s something I’m interested in, but it’s not a must. I would love to, but planning my future out, I would definitely seek other things.”

Leave a Comment

Comments (0)

If you wish for your response to an article to be submitted as a letter to the editor, please email [email protected].
All Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *