Pieke Roos: golden in goal
Pieke Roos has been a pivotal force for the Hofstra University field hockey team this year, posting a .777 save percentage thus far into her sophomore season with the Pride. Because of Roos’ work this year, Hofstra is one of the best defensive teams in the nation, ranking top-10 in save percentage. Roos acknowledges the accolades and praise from her team and the community for everything she does, but her ultimate goal remains helping the team win.
“I feel that focusing on these stats is very American,” Roos said, “It’s nice to have them when everything’s working, but ultimately this is a team sport and save percentage is a team stat. We don’t put much stock in the numbers. We just go out there and do our jobs.”
The team currently has a record of 5-11 and a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) record of 1-4 after their win over the College of William & Mary. In the game, which went to a shootout, Roos and her defensive line held strong making nine crucial saves when they mattered most.
“She’s a leader of empowerment,” said Hofstra head coach Courtney Veinotte. Off the field, Veinotte said Roos brings a “lighthearted, sarcastic and fun demeanor to the team,” but during play, “she’s a voice back there of keeping them calm and poised, which is where I feel like I’ve seen her presence in the game this year more than last.”
After getting her feet wet in a few games last year and posting a .800 save percentage, Roos was ready to take on the mantle of starting goalie this year and has excelled in the role.
“I’m definitely thankful that I got that opportunity to play some last year,” Roos said. “It would be a lot harder to be the starter if I didn’t get any time last year because I would be less confident. I feel like I've gotten the trust from the coaching staff that when the time came, I knew everyone believed in me, which I think directly translates to my performance on the field. Attitude is a huge part of goalkeeping. How you go out there and carry yourself really shows at the end of the game when you come up with the result you wanted.”
Being from the Netherlands, Roos found it difficult to assimilate to the team culture and the American college experience last season.
“In the beginning, I definitely struggled a little bit with the language,” Roos said. “Not that I don’t speak English, but it’s such a split-second decision when calling out to your teammates from the back end, and I wasn’t sure of the right word to say. Even positive and motivational words were hard. I didn’t know what to yell to encourage the team when they did something good. I learned all this gradually by asking and learning from my teammates. Now that’s something that’s going really well. I feel like once you get into a certain groove and feel more comfortable, the verbal communication improves.”
The team’s results this year haven’t always been in the Pride’s favor, but the individual statistics back up Roos’ confidence in the net. Against Drexel University on Sept. 30, Roos made 19 saves on 21 shots. At the time, this was the most saves made by a Hofstra goalie since 2013. Roos beat her own record later in the season against Northeastern University on Friday, Oct. 20, where she made 23 saves on 29 shots – the most saves made in a single game by any NCAA goalie this season.
“During the game [against Drexel], I didn’t pay much attention to that,” Roos said. “I knew I must’ve had a lot of saves, but I didn’t know it was breaking any records. Not to be pessimistic, but we didn’t win the game against Drexel which I would’ve preferred over this record. It’s nice to have, but the ultimate confirmation of my performance would be a win. What matters most to me is proving to myself I did all I could and seeing my teammates succeed. Walking up to them after the game and getting a hug means so much. The outside recognition from the league is nice, but that’s not what’s gonna get us to the tournament.”
According to Veinotte, Hofstra’s CAA tournament hopes are still alive, but the team needs to win crucial divisional games coming up. And after Roos’ performance against William & Mary and Old Dominion University, she’s not worried about the team's chances.
“After the games against William & Mary and Old Dominion, I presented her with a team award,” Veinotte said. “Our MVG, or most valuable gamer, award. I gave it to her because of how empowering she is. She was showing the belief in our team that we were gonna get through the adversity and we were gonna earn our spot in the CAA tournament. She’s playing an important role, and I think her teammates respect her and she’s been a great leader.”
Veinotte had a lot to say about the way Roos acts during games – while being a strong leader, she’s also a little bit of a jokester.
“She’s really big into gaslighting and manifesting,” Veinotte said. “She yells out during the games, ‘This is our last defensive penalty,’ to psych up the team. She kind of believes if she yells that it will be the last one, [it] at least gives her team the confidence to defend another penalty corner. She’s an incredible leader, and I’m really proud of her and how she’s developed over the last two years.”
As for Roos, even though she has grown tremendously during her sophomore year into her role as a starting goalie, she’s got her eyes on winning a tournament by graduation.
“We really, really want to make it to the tournament, and we deserve to be there,” Roos said. “We’ve shown that in our CAA games so far. We just need to keep building this group; we came in with so many new freshmen this year and being able to play a key role on this team is special. There are big dreams for this team, and they are feasible. That’s something that gives me a lot of hope for my next two seasons. I want to keep playing and spending time with my teammates off the field. I’ve enjoyed my time at Hofstra, and that’s what’s really keeping me going and focusing on the next achievement.”
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Jon Reiss
