Courtney Kirby

Dani Clutter’s first year at the helm of the Chambersburg field hockey team was not what she had hoped — the Trojans were 4-13 and were shut out eight times.

But, despite having only three seniors on the roster, Clutter believes 2018 will see improvement, and a large class of talented freshmen shows hope for a bright future.

“I’m seeing improvement; we just have to show it in game conditions,” Clutter said. “Our skills have improved and I think we’re understanding the game better positionally now.”

Chambersburg opens its season on Tuesday at Cedar Cliff at 4 p.m.

The three seniors include Molly Keefer at center midfield, Jess Champion at forward and Courtney Kirby at center back. Champion scored three goals last year and Keefer had two goals and an assist.

Molly Keefer

Three other players are returning starters from a year ago — juniors Jayden Seilhamer (midfield) and Brynn Kegerreis (forward, 1 goal, 1 assist), and sophomore Emma Grimm (back).

Other players who appear to have won starting roles include junior Lexi Schooley (midfield), sophomores April Rump (forward) and Emma Moschetti (goalie) and freshmen Adyson Finkle (forward) and Kenzie Boyd (midfield).

Clutter has emphasized defense in the preseason, after last year’s team allowed 3.5 goals per game.

“We are working hard in the back at working as a unit,” Clutter said. “The three keys are: Where is the ball? Where are my teammates? And, where are the opponents? Individual defense is always important, but we have to do it as a team.”

Jess Champion

Several other players expect to be in the mix for getting plenty of playing time, including juniors Annaliese Fleet and Alexis Payton, sophomore Ashlyn Barton and freshman Amber Pyne.

“A big challenge for us is that with 11 freshmen and one new junior, almost half the team is new to us,” Clutter said. “But it’s also a strength, because a lot of them are workhorses. There is a lot of talent in that class, so I’m very optimistic about the future.

“I think we can have a good year if the girls bring intensity to every game and fight hard every game.”