When field hockey Head Coach Laurie Carroll first saw freshman midfielder Elena Elster play, she knew right away “that she could impact the program immediately with her presence and maturity.”
With the Hoyas at 12-5, one win away from breaking the single-season school record for wins, it appears that Carroll was right about Elster. She leads the Hoyas with 46 points and 20 goals. Her six assists are the third-best on the team. She is currently second on the school all-time records list for goals in a season and third for points in a season.
Elster starts at center midfield and also has the important job of taking penalty corners for the Hoyas. She, along with the other members of the unit, freshman forward Leeanne Rizzo and junior midfielder Aubrey Bruggeman, account for the majority of the Hoyas’ scoring. Whether the goal is scored directly by Elster’s penalty shot or whether Rizzo taps in the rebound, corners almost always produce positive results for the Hoyas.
“The corners work really well. We have a great corner unit,” Elster said.
Elster brought highly-developed skills to Georgetown’s team. A native of Germany, she began playing field hockey at the age of seven. That gave her a clear advantage, because in the United States girld don’t have many opportunities for girls to begin organized field hockey until middle school. Although she said the sport “isn’t as intense” in Germany, by the time she came to the U.S. two years ago, Elster had acquired enough skills to make her an immediate standout on her field hockey team at the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. She also started at center midfielder and also took penalty corners for that team, which played on grass. Her skills earned her second team all-state honors for the 1999 season.
Elster had originally planned to return to Germany after high school, but after visiting Georgetown and talking to Carroll, she decided to come to the Hilltop.
“I had no expectations. I really had no idea what it was going to be like,” Elster said about coming to Georgetown.
She began the season as a back but moved to midfield when senior midfielder Sarah Oglesby was injured.
“At the beginning, it was hard playing with new people, but after a few games, you start to get used to it. Aubrey Bruggeman, [senior midfielder] Caitlin McLean and I have learned to play together. It’s great when you can read where your teammates are going to run,” Elster said.
Elster has scored 45 percent of the team’s goals this season. She has scored in 11 out of 17 games and was honored with the Eastern Coast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week award twice this season.
Carroll certainly agrees that Elster has been a success and adds that her statistics, as outstanding as they are, cannot describe everything that she has added to the team.
“She’s the most poised, mature freshman I’ve ever coached,” Carroll said. “She’s a great goal-scorer, but also a great defender. She just has an unbelievable presence out there.
“She has smart positioning, great game sense and unbelievable skills. Her position may eventually change, but for now – she’s perfect.”
Related Links
Field Hockey Team Page
Field Hockey Schedule
Field Hockey Roster