Michael Perdie ’13, Staff Writer
April Daugherty’s performance over the past four seasons landed her at the top of five different categories in the Merrimack Field Hockey Record Book. She is No. 1 in career points (108), points per game (1.93), goals (40), assists (28) and shots on goal (179). She is also tied for second in game-winning goals with 9 throughout her career.
This year the Merrimack College Field Hockey team entered the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 4 in the country. The Lady Warriors started off strong with a 3-2 win over No. 9 Bentley. This win landed the team a spot in the Div. 2 Final Four for the second straight year.
A huge key to their success comes from the play of the senior, All-American forward. Daugherty has tallied 21 goals and 52 points so far this year, making her the second leading scorer on the team. This past week she was selected to participate in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II North/South Senior Game, along with two of her fellow teammates.
This game is played to showcase the nation’s best senior players from each region. Merrimack will next face the River Hawks today at 4 p.m.
Q: Who is your favorite professional athlete? A: Serena Williams
Q: Do you have any pre-game rituals? A: On every game day I have a nice big breakfast. It’s important and I love breakfast. Other than that, not really.
Q: How does it feel to be selected for the NFHCA Senior Game this year? A: It’s a huge honor to be noticed and selected by the NFHCA. I am very excited to be able to represent Merrimack along with Jen [Otis] and Kerri [Bergquist].
Q: This is your second year heading to the NCAA tournament. What would it mean to you and your team to go all the way this year? A: Being able to make it back to the final four is amazing! Being able to go all the way would be even better. We have worked so hard as a team and it would be great to see that hard work and dedication pay off.
Q: How is your team preparing for the Final 4 this weekend? A: Practice this week has been very focused on the little things. We are focusing on making sure we have smart play and we are working on our composure. Being on a big stage is always exciting but staying composed and focusing in the little things will go a long way. Most importantly we are enjoying the moment. Opportunities like this don’t come around to often so we are enjoying it. Working hard and have fun has been our motto all year and we are sticking to it.
Q: What is your major? A: I am a Communications major.
Q: What do you want to do after college? A: After college I will be going to nursing school to become a nurse.
