During a practice her freshman year, a time when most underclassmen sit idly by, absorbing the atmosphere of Division I athletics, Maggie Befort separated herself from the pack.

While practicing corners, Befort asked one of the upperclassmen what the play call would be. The player responded ‘don’t worry about it,’ a reply that didn’t sit well with her.

‘(Maggie) stopped everything and said ‘No, I need to know where I need to be, so I can finish,” head coach Ange Bradley recalled.

‘For a freshman to step up and do that is really, really special,’ Bradley said. ‘Not a lot of freshman would do that, and to me, it was a very special defining moment for her. She’s not afraid to speak her mind in a group and get the information she needs.’

Befort’s persistence during practice paid off. The forward started the team’s 2007 opener against Cornell, as well as 18 other games, tallying 35 points off 12 goals and 11 assists.

Coming into this season, Befort was also rewarded with all-Big East preseason honors, the only returning Orange player to make the list.

But despite Befort’s knack for finding the goal and delivering a key pass inside the 18, it was her ability to step up for the team that prompted Bradley to involve the star sophomore in one of the team’s biggest offseason personnel changes.

Due to the influx of freshman recruits and transfers, Bradley needed to bolster her defense and decided that no other player could handle the task.

‘Maggie’s very poised, very intelligent and knowledgeable, so in the spring we put her in the backfield position because she has a great hit and can distribute the ball very well,’ Bradley said.

In field hockey, the backfield is one of the toughest positions to play, compared to forward, which is a better place to put younger players, Bradley said.

‘It’s very difficult to find someone that’s innately a defender at the high school level, so you typically build on and develop them,’ Bradley said.

The move caused Befort to vacate the role of a primary goal scorer and take on the responsibility of overseeing the entire field, making necessary shifts to the midfield and forwards to ensure a more balanced attack.

‘It’s definitely a testimony to her willingness to learn the game and help the team in any way she can to get a championship,’ Bradley said.

Still, it’s a big switch for a preseason all-Big East forward to handle. Bradley sat down with Befort and talked to the sophomore about switching positions on the field.

‘We didn’t even really talk field hockey (at the meeting),’ Befort said.

‘(Bradley) talked about what I’m like as a person and how my intangible characteristics would benefit the team playing defense. You know, anywhere where I’m on the field, whether I’m scoring goals or making shutouts, I’m OK.’

To say the least, the decision Bradley made in the offseason has been working out so far.

The undefeated Orange have given up just four goals on 43 shots in four games – staggering numbers compared to a 2007 team that gave up double the amount of goals in their first four games.

The Orange defense, coupled with the midfield, has set up a near-impenetrable fortress at the 50, allowing the team to dominate possession and keep stress off the goalkeeper.

‘I think we’re looking good,’ said senior forward Heather Doran. ‘We still have a few little things to work on, but as a unit I think we’re really coming together.’

Having the assistance of a vocal leader, like Befort, was a welcome addition as well, Doran said.

‘She’s another talker back there which helps,’ Doran said. ‘Communication from the backfield is really important, a lot more so than other people realize, and that’s another thing she’ll add back there.’

Neither Befort, nor her coach, could speculate whether or not she would ever make the move back to forward. But in the meantime, Befort doesn’t seem to be bothered, as she revels her new role of defender.

‘Nobody remembers hat tricks,’ she said. ‘But everyone remembers championships’

ctorr@syr.edu

Published on September 9, 2008 at 12:00 pm