Envision this scenario: The Football team has an 80 percent winning percentage and has just hosted a home playoff game.

Could you picture how excited the campus would be for that, considering how ecstatic the campus was when the team began its season 3-2?

However, the football team did not achieve such a feat, but rather, Pace Women’s Field Hockey did in only the program’s third season.

It’s about time we address the double standard on how we view certain Pace athletic teams versus others. Let’s acknowledge the fact that Field Hockey is the Rodney Dangerfield of Pace athletics: They don’t get no respect.

The Field Hockey team went 15-4 this season and had four players earn All-NE-10 honors: Freshman Lisette de Bruin was selected to the NE-10 All-Rookie Team, Junior Paige Predmore earned Second-Team All Conference honors, Margaret Maclean earned First-Team All Conference honors and Lesly Sanchez Alvarez was named the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the year.

The players and coaches that make up the Field Hockey team are a hard-working and humble bunch, so you’ll never hear them brag about their accomplishments.

“They work extremely hard and one of the best things is they show up every day working hard and they don’t complain about a single thing,” second-year head coach Kayte Kinsley said. “You definitely get excited about winning games, but I don’t think we worry too much about how other teams are doing,” she said.

However, allow me to brag for them. Pace Women’s Field Hockey was not only one of the best teams in the NE-10 Conference, it is one of the best Field Hockey programs in the whole nation. And yet, some students on campus do not even know it exists. Perhaps, if it was Men’s Field Hockey we’d pay more attention.

And we cannot make the excuse and claim that women’s sports are “boring,” and that’s why they do not get the same support and attendance as men’s sports because I attended Field Hockey’s postseason game against Assumption on Halloween afternoon at Peter X. Finnerty Field and it was one of the most energizing Pace Athletic games I have ever seen.

The back and forth action, the momentum shifts, last second saves and even Assumption’s game-winning goal in overtime was a thrill ride. And yet, I was one of the few students in attendance. Now, there were coaches of different Pace teams in attendance, and families of the players were there too, but still very few students in sight.

I’m not writing this just for the sake of writing an opinion piece, I believe it is about time we acknowledge Field Hockey, as well as other women’s sports on this campus. I have been a student here for three years, and whenever friends and I talk about Pace athletics, the topic stays on how unsuccessful it has been. This year, we had a team that was not just successful, but nationally ranked and we barely paid attention to it.

Nevertheless, I have some good news: We all have a chance to do better and support Women’s Field Hockey (and other women’s sports) next season because I can assure you the team will be successful again. This year was not some magic carpet ride, this team has the potential to be elite, and with a great coach in Coach Kinsley and selfless players, they will be a quality team for years to come.