DUAL THREAT: Aspen Swanson scoops up the ball in action last spring for the Hun School girls’ lacrosse team. This fall, junior Swanson has been stepping up for the Hun field hockey team. Last Wednesday, Swanson scored the lone goal for the Raiders as they fell 2-1 to Pennington in overtime. Hun, which lost 3-2 to Penn Charter (Pa.) last Friday to move to 2-3, plays at the Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) on September 28 before hosting Stuart County Day School on October 1. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

By Bill Alden

Her left thigh was heavily taped, but Aspen Swanson kept racing up the field as the Hun School field hockey team battled Pennington last Wednesday.

With Hun trailing the Red Hawks 1-0 in the fourth quarter, Swanson was moved from her usual defender spot into the Raider attack and ended up scoring a goal with 1:42 left in regulation.

“As soon as coach (Tracey Arndt) put me forward, I knew I had to put it in, that was what my job was going to be,” said Swanson, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. “The ball just came in and I just did what I could to just get the ball in. I just hit it and hoped for the best and it went in. I am just really thankful for that.”

While Hun ended up losing 2-1 in overtime, Swanson was proud of how the Raiders kept fighting to the end.

“It is definitely our demeanor,” said Swanson. “I am really glad that we were able to do that, it takes a lot from the team to do that. We did a really good job in this game of keeping our heads up.”
Having taken up field hockey just last year, Swanson has improved her game.

“My confidence has gone up because this is my second year playing field hockey,” said Swanson, whose main athletic focus is lacrosse. “It is just to be more confident with the ball, stick skills, and just knowing that I can do it.”

Swanson’s lacrosse background has helped her excel in field hockey.

“Lacrosse is my main sport,” said Swanson. “In a way, it is the same concept — going to goal, stick skills, and hand-eye coordination. That has really been helping me transferring from lacrosse to field hockey.”

With Hun having seen 10 seniors graduate from a 2023 squad that won the Mercer County Tournament, the Raiders have been working hard to get on the same page this fall.

“We took a huge loss with our seniors last year, it has been hard but I think we are doing the best we can,” says Swanson. “Our new addition Sophia [Clark] is really good, she has really been helping us.”

Hun head coach Arndt likes the way her team has come together as it incorporates new faces.

“We had a rough start with the first game (a 10-0 loss to the Episcopal Academy (Pa.)), I put those games on the schedule for a reason so that we can really see where we are at,” said Arndt. “That was a good learning lesson for us and then we came back with two wins, the one on Monday (2-1 over Academy of New Church (Pa.)) was an overtime win. I want them to know how much I believe in them, their skills and their effort. I think that helped build some of that confidence.”

In the loss to Pennington, Hun displayed plenty of skill but didn’t take care of business in the circle.

“I thought we did some really nice things. We had some nice possession passing, we just didn’t finish,” said Arndt. “I give Pennington credit. I would have to look at the stats, but I think we had more shots and corners than they did. It is not that they aren’t going to score on us, nobody is worried about a shutout. We just have to score one more.”

Arndt liked the way her players stuck with it as they rallied to force overtime.

“As we went through the second and third quarter it was pretty clear that they were doing a change in strategy to try to stop some of our really skilled players,” said Arndt. “We adjusted things a little bit with a little bit of time left and it ended up working.”

Swanson has been giving the Raiders some really good work all over the field.

“Aspen is very competitive and she wants to do whatever it takes to help us win,” said Arndt. “We had brought her up to that and she said I think I can play over here. She is learning the game more — that is why we put her up on attack in the seven-v-sevens. Her energy, her aggressiveness, and her competitiveness is something that I hope all of the other girls see because it is really exciting.”

The addition of talented post-graduate Clark, who hails from England, has helped keep the Raiders competitive.

“Sophia has got some game IQ, she plays with such speed and fluidity,” said Arndt. “She and Phoebe [Thielmann] make some really nice connections, which is great. It is hard sometimes when kids come in and they are only here for a little bit. She has been a great asset to the team helping the girls. She is just a great kid. She just brings a different style of hockey which is great. She has a great mindset, we are really happy that she is here.”

Another new face, sophomore defender Caroline Sirolly, who transferred from Pennington, has been a calming force on the Hun back line.

I have to give credit to Caroline, she just plays really strong,” said Arndt. “She is very steady, very consistent and that is exactly what you need in the back. We have really relied on her for all of those things. We have been really lucky that we were able to get her. I am happy to coach her.”

Going forward, Hun will be focusing on being sharper in the circle.

“A lesson for us is that we have to lock in at practice when it comes to finishing on our penalty corners as well as our open circle shots,” said Arndt, whose team lost 3-2 to Penn Charter (Pa.) last Friday to move to 2-3 and plays at the Mercersburg Academy (Pa.) on September 28 before hosting Stuart County Day School on October 1. “I think we had three or four that were very open. The shot was open, but it was lifted. So if we can get those on the ground then we have a better chance to put it in.”

In Swanson’s view, the team’s positive mindset bodes well for its chances.

“We played really well, we just didn’t finish,” said Swanson. “OK, it is going to happen sometimes. As long as we keep our heads high and continue to the next game, we will be good.”