By NICK KOSKO
Staff Writer
It’s an emotional time for athletes when their athletic careers start to wrap up and they realize they’ll never throw on that uniform again.
Field hockey star Erin O’Connell, a 2013 Mainland graduate and current Farleigh Dickinson University-Florham senior, recently finished the last chapter of long and successful career playing the sport she has loved for so long.
O’Connell made a tremendous impact on the field, leading Division III FDU-Florham to the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom Championship game and an appearance in the ECAC Tournament semifinals. The ECAC tournament is the D3 equivalent of the Division I NCAA tournament.
The Devils lost a heartbreaker, 1-0, in double overtime to Kings College in the MAC-Freedom championship game. However, O’Connell maintained that it was an honor to play for a championship despite the crushing defeat.
“It was a heartbreaker because we had worked so hard to get there and we were the top seed, but it doesn’t sum up what the team has accomplished as a whole, and we can always be proud of that.”
With her senior season in the rearview mirror, O’Connell has begun to wonder what is next for her.
“I always ask myself, what am I going to do without the game?” O’Connell said recently, as her final season was coming to an end. “I am just trying to take it slowly and soak it all in because I know it won’t last forever and I want to really enjoy it.”
Her former high school coach at Mainland, Jill Hatz, began her tenure as head coach when O’Connell came in as a freshman and a bond was instantly formed. Hatz said she saw the potential in O’Connell right away.
“We, as a staff, saw her talent immediately and you need extra confidence to play on varsity that young,” Hatz said. “We had her at center-mid — which is where you put one of your strongest players — and she excelled and always rose to the occasion.”
O’Connell eventually played in a senior all-star game in high school, and that is where FDU-Florham coaches noticed her. O’Connell said she quickly knew she would become a Devils player.
“They started recruiting me and then I did an overnight stay to meet all of the coaches and players, and I instantly fell in love with the school and knew this was the place for me,” O’Connell said, “The philosophy of the program and the academics here just sealed the deal. I knew I made the best decision.”
Picking up right where she left off, O’Connell turned into a four-year starter in college as well, earning many accolades, and capped off her career in the NFHCA Senior Game with her teammate Kim Davis. O’Connell also earned First-Team All-MAC Freedom, was named MAC-Freedom Defensive Player of the Year, and broke the school record for career defensive saves with 17 during her four seasons.
“So few seniors get to play in this game throughout all of the Division III players in the country, and the fact I am able to play in it with Kim as well just makes it that much more special,” O’Connell said.
“I am never surprised in what she has accomplished or what she will,” Hatz said. “It’s a great honor to play in a college all-star game. She always had a leadership mentality about her and she brought that into college and it has worked wonders.”
Throughout high school and college, O’Connell and Hatz have maintained a close relationship. So close, in fact, that Hatz is hoping for a return by O’Connell to Mainland to become one of her assistant coaches.
“I’d take her in a heartbeat,” Hatz said. “She epitomizes everything we look for in a player, leader and coach. Hopefully, one day down the line, she returns because we would welcome her back with open arms.”
“It was a always a running joke in high school. I said ‘save a spot for me’ for after college,” O’Connell said. “I give all the credit in the world to coach Hatz and I would love to return to Mainland one day and help out in the coaching department.”
Although O’Connell hasn’t been able to make many returns to Mainland to watch her old high school team play while she’s been away at college, she stopped back recently to see the Mustangs take on arch-rival Ocean City. Hatz also said she tries to make the trip out to FDU as often as possible to see her former star play. Hatz also brings current players to watch O’Connell play when the opportunity arises.
The two have even played together in a summer field hockey league, where they were no longer coach and player, but teammates.
“I’d say we work together pretty well,” O’Connell said with a laugh. “It was really fun to have that opportunity.”
As far as the workforce is concerned, O’Connell will be finishing up a five-year program for a degree in education and will begin her student teaching next fall. In May, she will also finish up her bachelor’s degree in psychology and looks forward to the next chapter in her life.
“All of my professors taught me what it was like on the other side of the classroom,” O’Connell said. “I have both perspectives and I am excited for the future.”
O’Connell may be excited for the future, but she said field hockey will always be in her heart and a part of the person she became.
“I’m going to miss that feeling of winning and just being out on that field,” O’Connell said. “Knowing that I got to contribute to something like that with the people around me, that will be with me forever.”
Follow Nick Kosko on Twitter @nickkosko59