Well, it's been an entertaining season, to say the least. The 2004 Penn State field hockey team was a squad chock full of talent, personality and amiability. But what summarized the season was not so much what the team had, but what it was lacking -- goals.

To the chagrin of coach Char Morett, the Nittany Lions averaged a measly two goals per contest. What kept the Lions in almost every game they played was tremendous defense from the backs, midfielders and goalkeeper Megan Akstin.

Here are the end-of-season grades (in my humble opinion) for a team that too often failed to make the grade against upper-tier competition.

Forwards: B-

Karin Grap -- Perhaps one of the fastest females at Penn State; sometimes a bit too fast for her (and the team's) own good.

Shaun Banta -- Shaun, we hardly knew ye; great start mired by lackluster finish to season.

Here's hoping the Banta of September stays for whole campaign in 2005.

As for the second half of this season, the Jersey native should just fuhgedboudit.

Annelise Legel -- Played a lot and scored some goals.

Michele Rigby -- Maybe the closest thing to consistency on this offense; led team in goals, and finished the season (and her career) on a very high note. She kept this unit above the C range.

Midfielders: B+

Natalie Berrena -- Speaking of high notes, Berrena sure can sing; Morett says she can shoot too, but we didn't see her do that too often; a more than capable passer, though.

Amanda Eckert -- The heart and soul of this team, whom Morett calls "a gem;" rarely ceased to impress with stick work and passing; teammates and quote-hungry writers vouch that she's a great person as well.

Carey Maser -- Type of player that doesn't get much street cred, but still quietly gets the job done.

Kiersten Wood -- Big Ten's top freshman; though not a game-breaking player just yet, look for the consistent midfielder to rack up the stats (and awards) in the future.

Defense: A-

Molly Schriver -- Another player who doesn't get as much credit as perhaps she should, but anchored this back line to defensive dominance on a consistent basis.

Bekah Hostetler -- Was pretty good before the Indiana game on Oct. 2, but was outstanding after. Dealt with injuries in a gritty and exemplary manor.

Sara Cahill -- Like Hostetler, she plays all over the field; the defense will be in good hands next year.

Mallory Weisen -- Provides good reason to believe that defensive player of the week honors will continue coming to Happy Valley next season and beyond.

Megan Akstin -- Backs were good bouncers -- not allowing many unwanted guests through the line. Even so, Akstin made some great saves, and was just as big a part of the shutout streaks as anyone else.

Chase Bacon, Natalie Blasco, Kristen Miller -- Bacon filled in well, but plays at a position filled to the brim with talent. These three should make an impact next year.

"We've had three tough losses to start the season, so I think one of the most important things right now is not to lose our confidence.

"We are a very talented team, and we need to know that we can win these big games against the good teams."

-- Amanda Eckert on Sept. 8, when the team was 0-3 after losing by a total of four goals to three highly ranked teams. Eckert and fellow captains Grap and Schriver did a commendable job, as morale was rarely low, despite the myriad reasons for the Lions to hang their heads this year.

Winston Churchill said, "Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

Eckert and Co. kept their spirits up and their heads held high in the face of disappointment. For that alone, while this 10-10 season is not exactly a success, it is certainly no failure.