Maggie Waxter: the secret weapon

W&L field hockey’s top scorer reflects on Randolph-Macon season so far

Maggie+Waxter%3A+the+secret+weapon

Courtesy of W&L Sports Information

Emily Cook

Scoring goals is not a new feat for sophomore field hockey forward Maggie Waxter.

As a starter on the Washington and Lee Field Hockey team, the Baltimore, MD native has propelled herself to be the top-scorer, with 13 goals so far in the 2014 season.

Waxter registered two of the Generals’ four goals against Randolph-Macon in the ODAC tournament quarterfinals on Nov. 1. Waxter led the Generals in shots on goal, as well.

Playing in the freezing rain with poor field conditions proved not to be a deciding factor for the Generals in their quarterfinal matchup. The team played on a nearby high school’s turf field, seeing as Macon’s grass field was not regulation.

“Randolph-Macon’s grass field is so different from the AstroTurf we play on at home,” said Waxter. “Luckily for us, the [grass] field was not regulation. It worked out in our favor since the nearest high school had a brand new turf field that we were able to play on.”

The Generals focused on drives during practice the week leading up to the quarterfinals, in preparation for playing on a more challenging surface.

“We worked a lot on driving the ball since our game was supposed to be on Randolph-Macon’s grass, but luckily we ended up playing on turf due to their field lining being incorrect,” said Waxter. “Nonetheless, our drives looked a lot better in the game”.

Waxter said she was able to stay positive despite adverse conditions.

“The coaches told us before the game to focus only on the controllables,” she said. “That really helped me forget that it was freezing and raining because that was something I had no control over and just had to play through”.

Waxter credits her teammates for her success in the circle.

“I just try and get open for my teammates as best as I can and keep my stick down as much as possible,” she said.