ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- On Wednesday, September 23rd, the Elizabethtown College field hockey team hosted a Youth Night on Wolf Field prior to their matchup against Hood College. The event was designed for kids in the community to meet the Blue Jays field hockey team, play games on the field, do arts and crafts, and walk out with the team during lineups.  

In her third season as head coach, Grace Hardy '22 saw this event as beneficial for the community and her players. "It empowers them, and it is so cool to see them share something they take so much pride in being a part of," said Coach Hardy. "As a field hockey alum, this was huge for our program and directly connected to our college motto, "Educate for Service." 

For the Elizabethtown players, the event provided an opportunity to connect with younger athletes who share their passion for the sport. 

The opportunity for senior captain Hannah Long to share her passion of field hockey with the next generation made the evening especially rewarding. 

"Youth night definitely made the game feel even more special," Long said. "Before the game, we got to make bracelets with the kids, which was so cute because a lot of them wanted to make matching ones with us." 

On Wolf Field, participants ranging from kindergarten through eighth graders joined the team on the field for relay races, duck-duck-goose, and several field hockey-related drills. 

The event was extra special for sophomore captain Kaylie Noel, as she got to share her love for the game with three of her siblings who were in attendance that night. 

"As an Early Childhood education major, I was super excited about having Youth Night and being able to teach and bond with the youth with something I love and that they are growing to love as well. I think having my siblings there participating was an awesome experience to be able to share the sport I love with them," said Noel. 

Youth night created meaningful connections between the players and community before the game. However, the game against Hood became a challenge that tested the team's resilience. The Blue Jays finished with the win after a hard-fought battle through regulation, two overtime periods, and a shootout.  

Standout first-year Carly Schumacher said, "The entire game was incredibly intense. I was already nervous about playing overtime because everyone's emotions were high and everyone was on their toes. I wanted to win so badly, especially because of how hard we had been working as a team." 

For Long, who played all 60 minutes of regulation at midfield before continuing through both overtime periods and participating in the shootout, the game demanded both physical endurance and mental toughness. 

"As captain, I really tried to stay composed and positive to bring energy for my teammates," Long said. "It was a complete team effort, and we all fought through every second of the game together until the very end." 

Schumacher was one of the five selected from the team to take a shootout and was one of three to successfully convert. The moment became an opportunity for the freshman to prove to herself and her coaches that she could perform when the team needed her most. Despite feeling nervous, Schumacher stepped forward and delivered. 

As she explained, "When I saw Coach put my name on the whiteboard as one of the players taking one, I was honestly thrilled to be picked. When I scored, I was filled with so much happiness and excitement," she said. "I was beyond thrilled, not only because I had scored, but because I felt like I had truly made myself proud. Then I looked over at my teammates and saw how excited they were, and that made the moment even more special." 

Despite the game ending with an exciting finish, the impact of Youth Night went beyond the Blue Jays' victory. Coach Hardy noted how amazing Hood College's field hockey team was in coordinating the event.  

"I really love Coach Kessler at Hood. They helped us walk out the youth participants, and her athletes were incredible, making up handshakes and cheers with the kids and really embracing the event. As a team, they competed so hard, and the character and sportsmanship they showed really speaks loudly to the program Coach Kessler has built." 

Following the event, Coach Hardy received encouraging responses from both the community and players. 

"Since the event, I have received an outpouring of positive feedback through emails, texts, and conversations," Hardy said. "I have heard from my athletes and their parents, Hood's coaching staff, other Division III field hockey coaches, Etown faculty and staff, parents of participants, and local coaches who attended with members of their teams. It means so much to me, more than words can really describe." 

Through Youth Night, Elizabethtown field hockey brought the local community onto its home field and created an experience that connected young athletes with the players they had come to support. The evening offered a glimpse of what makes the sport so special and will be sure to be an annual event for the Etown field hockey team.