The goal of any game is to win, and after 25 years, Keene State College field hockey Head Coach Amy Watson has done a lot of it.
Watson has recently notched her 350th win of her coaching career.
Watson reached this milestone against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in a 3-2 overtime win on Oct. 15, 2014.
Watson described the meaning of the milestone, “That’s a lot of field hockey games is what it means,” Watson joked.
“It just makes me realize how long I’ve been coaching,” Watson said.
Melissa Habelow, a senior on the team, attributed the coach’s success in part to her ability to inspire her players to play at the top of their game.
“She knows how to get us, especially at home, to play our best games and she knows how to bring the intensity into people,” Habelow said.
That intensity is what the senior defender said has allowed the team to go undefeated in its conference this season.
Along with her effective coaching on the field, player Haylie Dolan said what makes Watson unique from other coaches is her ability to stay involved in the lives of her athletes.
“She’s just such an outgoing person. She’s so easy to talk to. If you ever have a problem with anything you can go and talk to her … She’s very accepting and helpful. She’s a very helpful person,” Dolan said.
The veteran head coach gave the credit to her players in allowing her to reach a milestone that few coaches have.
“I’ve been the one in the background of those 350 wins. It’s been the players, obviously, you know, all through the years that have worked together … They’re out there getting those wins,” Watson said.
Watson also noted the ability of the school to bring in talented athletes when recruiting incoming students and the program’s success prior to her arrival over two decades ago.
“We’ve had successful programs — the program was successful when I started … We get good players,” Watson said.
She continued, “The program has a strong tradition over the years and it kind of sells itself as time goes by.”
Watson’s team ended their regular season with a record of 16-4 overall this year and undefeated against conference opponent UMass Dartmouth.
The KSC field hockey team has clinched the top seed in the Little East Conference, looking to win its tenth LEC championship in the team’s history.
This year is Habelow’s senior season with the team and she said she has enjoyed her time with the team,
“I’ll miss playing for coach Watson and KSC [field hockey],” Habelow stated.
The senior said that Watson has been a major part of why she has enjoyed her time at the school, “She’s been a great coach,” Habelow said. Watson said she is not sure how many more wins she will be able to earn, but that she will take it one game at a time.
Jacob Barrett can be contacted at jbarrett@keene-equinox.com
