She went from team leader in high school, to the bottom of the barrel in a fight for playing time as a first-year player for the Penn State field hockey team.

For the quiet and collected Sara Cahill, the ambition to succeed at the college level has become a reality.

The freshman midfielder has worked to come full circle from a two-year All-State athlete at Kempsville H.S. in Virginia Beach, Va., to a starting role on the No. 6 ranked team in the nation.

But the transition did not come easily. Like many other freshmen in college, Cahill was homesick, and at times, her performance suffered. The rigors of the preseason physically and mentally tested all of the new additions to the field hockey team, including Cahill.

"It was a lot harder than I expected," she said. "The thing that got me through was my team, especially the sophomores, because we live together. Everyone is there for each other."

As the games progressed, so did her comfort level.

"I think it's come a long way," Cahill said. "The first game, I was so nervous, I don't even know how to describe it."

Even the coaches noticed a distinct improvement from game to game.

"I think now that she's finally less homesick, it shows," Penn State field hockey coach Char Morett said. "I think it was a tough transition for her. She got a lot of great support from her teammates."

Now, Cahill is an integral part of the team's chemistry, a team chemistry that has been the resounding force in Penn State's 15-3 regular-season record and the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament. Cahill literally solidified the third spot in the tournament for the Nittany Lions after she sent the game into overtime with a last minute goal. The goal was the first of her Penn State career came on the first shot of her career.

"I've definitely reached a comfort level with our team," she said. "The trust of our team and players is unlike any team I've ever been on before."

But how did the rise from just another recruit to a starter happen, and more importantly, how did it happen so quickly? Morett attributes it to Cahill's hustle, vision of the field, and her solid passing ability.

"She had come to our team camps, so we saw her here," Morett said. "She always played with a lot of aggressiveness."

Another difference with Cahill that distinguished her from other incoming players was that she carried herself with a sense of confidence whenever she played. The coaching staff did not expect such a quality in a young player, but Cahill was proving them wrong.

"During preseason, we always noticed she played hard and did smart things," Morett said. "She just went out there and did her job. She may have felt nervous, but she didn't show it."

Nervousness is something of the past. The once-quiet freshman turned into the talkative field hockey socialite.

"She'll come up with some funny comments that make us laugh," Morett said. "In the beginning she would
hardly say anything. Now she talks away."

Her teammates and coaches often joke about her newfound ability to talk up a storm, doubletaking in the fact she is a freshman.

Still, Cahill's ascension in the ranks is a testament to the team cohesiveness the Penn State field hockey team prides itself.