The job of a midfielder is grueling.
The position isn’t flashy; the role is vital to team success, the statistics don’t jump off the page, and recognition by fans and media is few and far between. Often covering the most ground in a game and coming away with little to show for it, playing midfield is not for the faint of heart.
Yet, for Springfield College field hockey midfielders Clare Moore and Amber Wolkner, their roles are something they would never trade away, as success for the entire team is worth more than any individual accolades ever could.
Midfielders connect the game between the offense and defense, having multiple duties for one position. As the first line of defense, midfielders have to stay ready to take the ball back and regain possession for their squad. However, transitioning downfield after a stop by pushing the offense is also asked of the athletes, making the duties often go unappreciated.
With all that is tasked on a midfielder, Wolkner noted how crucial the position is to the team’s success.
“Whoever is playing in the center, and it’s usually Clare and I, has to be really comfortable playing full pressure,” Wolkner explained. “We are usually getting double or triple marked because at this point, people know that Clare and I get a lot of touches. We always have to be on our A game, have small touches, and pre-scan to know what we’re going to do, having a plan before you hit the ball in order to successfully help our team.”
While an occasional goal or assist may tally on the stat sheet, playing midfield isn’t a gaudy job. Despite being some of the most crucial players on the field at any given moment, the average fan often overlooks the importance of their play on a day-to-day basis since they don’t stand out in the box score or have their names mentioned in most recaps.
Moore added how one part of the game that most fans would not understand stems from the cognition required to be successful for any midfielder.
“It’s a lot of thinking,” Moore noted. “You have to be able to do critical thinking. You have to be able to see the plays unfolding and make good decisions in the moment. You have to have the tools to be able to relax and tell yourself that you can do this and make those decisions when it matters most.”
Another facet of the game that many overlook is the toll the position takes on the body, being one of, if not the most, exhausting positions to play over the course of an entire field hockey game. Wolkner elaborated on Moore’s explanation.
“I think what becomes troublesome sometimes is making good decisions under fatigue,” Wolkner said. “It’s really easy to be tired and not push your body to the limits. With the conference play we’ve had recently, we’ve gone into two double overtime games now. It’s a lot of running and you’re dead by the end of the game. Trying to make those decisions is tough, but it’s essential.”
Both Wolkner and Moore were named to the 2026 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Watchlist for the fall season after their outstanding play in their 2025 campaigns. Both athletes led the Pride to allowing the fourth-lowest number of goals as a team in the NEWMAC last season, while only allowing 10 goals through the team’s first eight games this season, good for second overall in the conference.
While Wolkner only has one goal and Moore only has one assist so far this year, their value to the team goes far beyond these numbers.
“It’s a pretty big role,” Moore said. “Our main focus is to get the ball and distribute it to our forwards. We want to facilitate, start the other team’s defense, and go from there.”
One aspect of playing as the middle ground between the two ends of the field comes from midfielders having to constantly communicate to keep the entire team organized and prepared for whatever adversity comes their way. For the Pride, this has been no issue this season, as both star midfielders understand how necessary communication is towards team success.
“It’s really important that we communicate where we are to our teammates,” Wolkner said. “It’s important because we make up the whole center of the field. We have to occupy quite a bit of space and speak up to our teammates. It’s especially important if we are redefending after we lose the ball.”
On the offensive end, both Wolkner and Moore have been excellent at initiating the attack for the Pride. Swiftly passing the ball upfield to create scoring chances is part of the Springfield midfielder’s specialty, and the results have been noticeable.
The Pride rank third in the conference in goals scored, netting 23 this season, only three behind the NEWMAC-leading Mount Holyoke Lyons. This has propelled the team to 5-3 on the season as the team begins to ramp up conference play.
With team success so far, Wolkner has found the defense to be the key to winning and being competitive every time the team steps foot on the turf.
“I think our defensive unit has been putting up a pretty good fight,” Wolkner said. “In the game the other day, WPI had a really strong attacking presence. You can’t win a game if you get scored on a lot. So, I think that our defensive presence has really contributed to allowing us to stay in games.”
Incredible play of their midfielders and contributions from up and down the roster have led to the Pride looking at the bigger picture this season, hoping to build off of their solid start to the year when the games matter most.
“We want to be NEWMAC champions,” Moore said. “We want to get to that point. We have a fair chance to do that this year.”
“We have written in our locker room on the board, ‘NEWMAC Champions,’” Wolkner said. “Our mentality is thinking, ‘what would a NEWMAC champion do?’ I want to put my head down and put my team first.”