The Skidmore College field hockey team completed yet another successful start to their fall season, posting an overall record of 9-2 with an impressive No. 15 national ranking entering mid-October.

The Thoroughbreds won five straight coming into last weekend before dropping an overtime thriller, 1-0, to No. 7 William Smith College. Skidmore’s only other loss came at the hands of Middlebury College, who currently hold a No. 9 national ranking.

“There is a tremendous amount of depth on this team,” said head coach Beth Hallenbeck, adding that their early success is due to “a combination of talent, hard work, camaraderie, and leadership.”

Senior Shaila DeLea (Cornish, Maine) and junior Elise Britt (Saratoga Springs) lead the Thoroughbreds with nine goals each for the season.

First-year player Katie Potter (Rumson, N.J.) has also made an impact on the offensive side of the ball, earning Liberty League Rookie of the Week honors for the week of Oct. 3.

Thus far, it appears the Thoroughbreds have found a winning combination in their veteran leadership and array of young, talented players.

“(There is) good senior leadership and some very talented underclassmen,” said Hallenbeck. “The young players are constantly pushing the veterans to play at their best.”

Senior captains DeLea, Chelsey Lisaisus (Warren, Vt.), and Sarah Donahue (Winchester, Mass.) are joined by a strong core of returning players that bring talent and experience to the team.

A talented freshmen class has added to the team’s depth, with Potter and first-year goalkeeper Liz Catinella (Sudbury, Mass.) making significant contributions on the field.

Potter has amassed three goals and three assists on the year, and Catinella has been strong in goal posting 49 total saves with a 1.28 goals against average.

With four wins and only one loss in conference play, the Thoroughbreds finish the season with league games against Hamilton College and rival St. Lawrence University at home next weekend.

“A win against Hamilton is critical,” said Hallenbeck, stressing the importance of focusing on the Hamilton game before setting sights on the Saints.

Come Saturday, however, all eyes will be on Skidmore as they look to avenge two losses to St. Lawrence in 2006, including a 2-5 loss to the Saints in the first round of the league playoffs.

As always, expectations are high for the Thoroughbreds, who hope to advance past the Liberty league playoffs and onto the NCAA tournament (where they reached the Final Four in 2001).

Those involved with the Thoroughbreds hope that this year’s talented combination of young and veteran players prove to be the difference towards making that next step.

The keys of success, according to Hallenbeck, are for the team to “execute our game plan well, play with confidence, stay focused, and work together.”

Skidmore will host Hamilton College Friday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m. and St. Lawrence University Saturday, Oct. 20, at 2 p.m.