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Moura returns to Keene State as Christopher Newport field hockey coach
KEENE, N.H. 10/14/11 – When Carrie Moura and her Christopher Newport (Va.) University field hockey team arrive for its Homecoming Weekend game against Keene State College on Sunday (5 p.m.), she won’t need directions for getting around Owl Athletic Complex.
Except for a new spongy turf, assorted amenities like Owl banners adorning the light posts leading into the complex, a recently installed fence, and hand-railings in the stands, nothing much has changed at the facility since she left in the spring of 2001.
Moura, a 1998 Keene State grad originally from Litchfield, Conn., became very familiar with the facility, first as a field hockey and lacrosse player for the Owls, and later during her two seasons (2000 and 2001) coaching the KSC women’s lacrosse team. “I’m really excited to return to my alma mater,” said Moura. “I have such great memories. I loved playing there.”
Moura and Keene State field hockey coach Amy Watson will have plenty to reminisce about. Moura was not only a four-year field hockey player for Watson, but also played on the first Owl varsity lacrosse team in 1998, which Watson also coached. Moura doesn’t have fond memories of the lacrosse sticks she had to use at the time. “It was like trying to catch a ball on a tennis racquet,” she said. “I’m jealous of the sticks they use these days.”
Watson remembers Mora as a hard-working player, lauded for her hustle. “Carrie was a great athlete with a very positive attitude,” said Watson. “She grew a lot as a player from her freshman to her senior season.”
Moura, who bridged KSC’s move from Division II to Division III in 1997, returned to campus in 2000 to take over a growing Owl women’s lacrosse program. Interested in the assistant coaching position at the time, Moura was surprised when Keene State athletic director John Ratliff offered her the head coaching job. Working at the time as a physical education teacher and varsity field hockey coach at Keene High School, Moura adapted well to the college game, leading the Owls to their first winning season (9-6) in 2001.
Following her two-year coaching stint at KSC, Moura headed to Lynchburg (Va.) College where she earned her master’s degree and served as a graduate assistant coach with the field hockey team. Moura picked a perfect time to come to the college, located in the eastern foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. During her tenure at Lynchburg, the Hornets made quite a buzz in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Elite-8 and Sweet-16 rounds.
Looking for the right coaching opportunity, Moura found a good fit at Christopher Newport, located in historic Newport News, Va. “It honestly looked like the Keene State of the South,” said Moura. “It’s a public liberal arts school, the same size, and it was beautiful.”
Success followed Moura to CNU. Going from 6-8 her first year to 12-3 in her second season, the Captains began to make waves in 2006, upsetting three-time NCAA champion Salisbury University on the way to advancing to the Elite-8 of the NCAA tournament. “It was surreal,” said Moura, whose line-up that season didn’t include one senior.
Since then, Christopher Newport has been a perennial participant in the NCAA tournament. They are currently ranked 14th in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches’ poll, with a 7-3 record heading into the weekend.
The game against Keene State has been in the talking stage for several years. “We always joked that we should do it, and it’s finally going to happen,” said Watson.
While Keene State is locked into a loaded Little East schedule, Christopher Newport, an independent, has a little more flexibility. However, Moura said being an independent has its down side: “You don’t get an automatic bid, and nobody wants to play you.”
Fortunately, Moura has found a few Keene State alums, who happen to be coaching Division III field hockey teams, willing to give her a game. Former Owl Carly Sweeney is the coach at Frostburg State while Tiffany Underhill leads the program at Transylvania (Ky.) University.
Trying to schedule games for this weekend’s trip to New England was also frustrating. “Everyone said no, but I knew Amy wouldn’t turn me down,” said Moura.
The Captains will play Rhodes College from Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday at MIT before traveling to Keene for their Sunday game against the Owls.
Moura won’t be coming to Keene alone. In addition to her team, she’ll also be traveling with her young children, three-year-old son Gage and daughter Sloan, who is 14 months old. “I don’t get a chance to come back to New England too often, so I’m really looking forward to seeing family and friends and showing my kids where I played in College,” said Moura.
It will also be a proud moment for Watson, who has seen her coaching tree grow exponentially over the years. “There’s a lot of pride when one of your players goes on to become a successful college coach,” said Watson. “It’s one of the most satisfying parts of the job.”
