Syracuse head coach Ange Bradley barked instructions to senior Lies Lagerweij from the sidelines.

“Pressure,” Bradley yelled at Lagerweij. “Pressure.”

Lagerweij received the message and relayed instructions to fellow All-American, Roos Weers. But instead of English, Lagerweij repeated the instructions in Dutch, the pair’s native language. She then yelled, “pressure” audibly to the rest of the team.

No. 10 Syracuse (11-5, 2-4 Atlantic Coast Conference) has eight foreign athletes on the team. Seven come from the Netherlands or Germany and do not speak English as a first language. Elaine Carey, an Irish native, is the one foreign player that speaks English as a first language.

“That’s the biggest adaptation that’s cultural,” Bradley said. “… Having to do something in a language that’s not your own. Think if you had to read all your books for your classes in Dutch.”

American field hockey is much faster and more physical than European field hockey, Bradley said. But in addition to adapting to American styles of play, SU’s foreign players must adjust to playing with people who speak a different language.

For many, the adjustment to playing on a predominantly English-speaking team and adjusting to an American style of play has been a challenge, but it is also challenging for the American players adjusting to foreign languages and playing styles.

Erin Gillingham, a midfielder, plays close to the back line around Weers, Lagerweij and Dutch goalie Borg van der Velde. She hears them strategizing in Dutch every game.

“I have no idea what they’re saying,” Gillingham said. “As long as they get their point across to each other and they know what they’re talking about, then that’s all that matters.”

Gillingham has yet to have a teammate try to talk to her in a foreign language on or off the field, but she’s heard stories of it.

“They don’t even know that they’re doing it,” Gillingham said. “And that’s the funny part.”

Unlike Gillingham, senior midfielder Laura Hurff has been barked at in an unrecognizable tongue, but it didn’t come off the field, it came in the thick of a heated game. While on defense, Dutch freshman Florine Hogendoorn began directing Hurff. She yelled “Go to the ball! Go to the ball!” But Hogendoorn didn’t realize she was hollering in Dutch.

“I was like, ‘What? What are you saying?’” Hurff said. “And she kept saying it over and over.”

Five minutes later, during a break in the action, Hogendoorn ran up to Hurff and apologized. She had just realized that she was speaking in Dutch and not English.

European field hockey isn’t as physical or as fast as the American style. The game is much more tactical and the experience runs deeper. Many players, such as junior Emma Tufts, adjusted to field hockey after originally playing ice hockey. Foreign players don’t usually share that common experience. Hogendoorn had dreamed of playing field hockey in America for as long as she could remember.

“(European players) bring a lot of knowledge to us,” Hurff said. “… They start at a younger age, so they’re really good at reading the game.”

Often, when those players read the game and talk about it, the discussions are not in English. In the middle of games, it is easier for many of the players to work together in their own languages, Weers and Hoogendoorn said. For them, if it would be more effective to give directions to each other in Dutch, they’ll do it in Dutch.

Speaking in one’s native language brings back a sense of familiarity for the German and Dutch players. But to Bradley, it isn’t a Dutch, German, Irish or American style that matters.

“It’s still the same game,” Bradley said. “Played with a white ball and turf.”

Published on October 23, 2017 at 9:39 pm

Contact Matt: mdliberm@syr.edu