Freshman Berkley Millers looks onto the field during practice.
McKenna Howenstine|Marlin Chronicle
In 2013, junior field hockey goalie Lindsey Baker was awarded with ODAC Player of the Week. Little did the program know that this would be the last player of the week award it would receive for the next twelve years. That is until freshman goalkeeper, Berkeley Miller, won it in less than a month of play.
Miller has kicked off the season with an undefeated 3-0 record and a 0.00 goals-against average. Playing 160 minutes in the first three games of the season, she totaled ten saves, with a whopping seven saves in the 1-0 loss against Hood College on Aug. 30.
As a freshman, the transition from high school to collegiate athletics can be a challenge; however, for Miller, the transition has been nothing short of smooth.
“The transition between high school and collegiate athletics has no significant change but one little change such as practice being held at a higher level of play. On the field hockey team, you practice how you are going to play and coaches and teammates hold each other accountable for that,” she said.
In her transition, Miller held herself to a high standard, striving for consistency and excellence.
“My goal coming into this season as a freshman was to be able to start in games. I wanted to be consistent throughout every practice and every scrimmage to be able to uphold that starting position,” she said.
Although Player of the Week was not a goal of Miller’s, it was a team goal established at the beginning of the season. Unbeknownst to Miller, she would accomplish this.
“This award was very unexpected for me because before practice one day, we were writing goals we wanted to accomplish as a team in the locker room. One of these goals was to have an ODAC Player of the Week, so it was just very unexpected but also a very cool experience to be the first ODAC Player of the Week since 2013 in the field hockey program with only a month of being with this amazing team,” Miller said. “I could not have done it without my team.”
Despite the award coming as a surprise for Miller, field hockey Head Coach Ryley van der Velde anticipated it. “We had big expectations for Berkley when she arrived on campus. We knew Berkley had the potential to help our program do special things,” van der Velde said.
She also gave Miller gratitude for her dedication and grit. “Playing time is something that has to be earned within our program. She has taken her opportunities and utilized her minutes to show us and our opponents just how much she is capable of. Berkley knows she needs to keep raising the standard. This is just the beginning for her and our women,” van der Velde said.
Receiving such an award, this early at that, can be accompanied with increased pressure on a player to sustain this high level of play, but for Miller, the pressure is the driver of her success. “I feel like receiving this award is a lot of added pressure especially since I am a goalie, but I thrive off of pressure. I will just continue to work hard every day at practice and continue to get better no matter what,” she said.
With this work ethic and mental toughness coupled with an aptitude for the game, Miller shows great promise in her contribution to the program.
By: Sydnee Washington
