IC field hockey navigates split surfaces across Liberty League

The Ithaca College field hockey team faces a tactical challenge in the Liberty League, where opponents are split between field turf and AstroTurf. Senior midfielder Payton Yahner and the Bombers rely on home field advantage at Higgins Stadium.

The Ithaca College field hockey team plays with field turf, which grants the players a good amount of movement with the ball and can be used by a variety of teams at the college. However, in the Liberty League, four teams use AstroTurf on their home fields. This turf is a modern, higher tech version of traditional turf. Unlike traditional infill turf, water-based AstroTurf creates a slick, carpet-like surface where the ball travels significantly faster.

Junior defender Ellie Gipe said AstroTurf completely speeds up the pace of the game and forces her and her teammates to change their practice strategies before a game on AstroTurf. “It’s such a short, flat surface compared to a field turf, which is a little bit thicker,” Gipe said. “It’s like a synthetic version of regular grass, and then the [AstroTurf] is super super flat, almost carpet-like, so the ball moves probably [at] double speed.”

Senior midfielder Payton Yahner said the contrast between surfaces often dictates game flow across Division III field hockey, where traditional turf remains more common than water-based pitches.

“The ball moves a lot quicker on [AstroTurf],” Yahner said. “Field turf is just regular artificial turf, and the ball moves slower. … It’s a big advantage to host [teams that play on AstroTurf] because they’re not used to it. It’s a different game.”

Investing in an AstroTurf field at Ithaca College would cost between $600,000 and $1,000,000, with field hockey being the only varsity sport able to utilize it. Unlike the field turf that Higgins Stadium uses, which features rubber infill that cushions impact, water–based AstroTurf is a dense, low pile carpet without an infill. Soft ground cleats cannot penetrate the low carpet and risk slipping on the surface which would not allow sports like soccer and lacrosse to practice safely. Gipe said her team embraces its home advantage at Higgins Stadium. “There’s no atmosphere like Higgins,” Gipe said. “So if that means field turf, hey, here we go.”

Even when the team does travel, Gipe said that her style of play suits AstroTurf.

“I think the pace of the game is so much better on [AstroTurf],” Gipe said. “I love to play fast. I love going fast. I love counter-attacking with speed and using a little variety on the AstroTurf.

William Smith College, Vassar College, Skidmore College and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute use AstroTurf at their home venues.

Head coach Kaitlyn Wahila said that competing on AstroTurf requires a mental adjustment.

“To compete with other schools with AstroTurf the athletes must think quicker and become quicker on their feet than they would on our home surface,” Wahila said. “They need to be ready for the next play.”

The Bombers prepare for upcoming road games on AstroTurf by traveling to Cornell University to practice on its water-based field. Gipe said her and her fellow teammates feel they have a good relationship with Cornell.

“I think we had a pretty good relationship with them last year,” Gipe said. “They were doing construction on the field, so we weren’t allowed up there. So we would practice in the arena, but overall they’re really awesome.”

Wahila said the team greatly benefits from practicing at Cornell before an important matchup.

“The players feel more secure after practicing ahead of big games such as these,” Wahila said. “They are in a better mindset and overall ready to play the game.”

The Bombers are typically only able to practice on Cornell’s fields one to two days before games, especially when contests fall right after the weekend. In instances where the team cannot practice at Cornell, players head indoors to the Athletics and Events Center.

Heading into AstroTurf matchups, Wahila said players focus on quickening their footwork to match the speed of the ball. In the long run, the Bombers believe they hold an advantage when hosting opponents on South Hill, as visiting teams must adjust to a slower pace. Yahner said the team is eager to test conference rivals on Higgins Stadium‘s turf.

“Any of the Liberty League teams, they’re all super competitive, and it’s anyone’s game anytime,” Yahner said. “We have a lot of Astro teams that we’re hosting on our turf, which is field turf. So that’ll be interesting to see how those teams do against us.”

At the A&E Center, Wahila said the team focuses on “ball movement on a faster surface,” noting that things develop quickly on AstroTurf and the team wants to be as prepared as they can be.

“Our AstroTurf opponents feel challenged when they play on our field, they need to adjust to a slower pace which can be equally as hard,” Wahila said.

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