After the field hockey team’s hard-fought victory over Old Dominion on Monday, coach Missy Meharg stood and talked with reporters while her team mingled and talked on the sideline. Meharg stopped answering questions briefly and turned to team captain Paula Infante.
“Paula, can you help me out?” she asked calmly. “Partner stretching.”
Within a minute, the team was paired off, cooling down and stretching.
Such is the power of Infante, fellow captain senior Kristina Edmonds and her other team leaders.
Infante has international experience on the Chilean National Team, she won the Honda Sports Award – presented to the nation’s top field hockey player – last year and was also voted ACC Defensive Player of the Year by the conference coaches. Meharg said she has already decided to give Infante a spot on the team’s coaching staff next year.
Meharg said with her experience and mindset, she makes the quintessential leader.
“This year has been [Paula’s] most complete already in terms of total understanding of what it means to be a competitor, what it means to be a teammate and also what it means to be a leader,” Meharg said after the team returned from California. “I’m so proud of her.”
With eight freshmen on the roster and the majority of them seeing playing time, the importance of strong leadership has increased.
Freshman forward Nicole Murraco has two goals and two assists through four games, and said her poise on the field is directly correlated to Infante’s leadership. She said before her first game with the team, Infante had soothing words of encouragement.
“The leaders are always so positive,” Murraco said. “If you ever need anything, you can go talk to [Infante or Edmonds] and they’ll help you and guide you through it. Before the first game, they told me to play like I know how, and I’ll be fine.”
Several players pointed to Infante and Edmonds’ on-field communication as a major part of the team’s success and trust in their captains.
Junior goalie Kathryn Masson said hearing the leaders in the backfield breeds confidence for the rest of the team.
“Our freshman players and some key returners are back on defense and a big part of our success back there is communication,” Masson said. “It’s a comfort for the team knowing they can count on a lot of the players back there.”
Even when Infante graduates, she still will be able to guide the youthful squad as a coach. Meharg said having her with the team will be incredibly beneficial because of her understanding of the game.
“Paula is very honest with her teammates about what she needs from them and what she thinks they can do to better themselves,” Meharg said. “She is willing to outwork the rest of the team, and if she continues to do that on a daily basis, we’ll be very competitive in the long stretch.”
Contact reporter Geremy Bass at geremybass@gmail.com.
