SUFFOLK, Va. — Nansemond River field hockey player Anyia Woods had the talent in the sport even before she became a Warrior according to her head coach Allison Dize.
"She came in after tryouts, because she was competing for the Puerto Rican national team", she said. "We were doing some kind of shooting drill at the time and she took a reverse chip shot and the goal went upper right of the cage. My JV (junior varsity) coach looked at me and she said, 'Are we qualified to coach her'", she laughed.
After 15 years as the Warriors coach, Dize knew she had someone special. Woods started when she three years old through her mom who's a former goalie. Now a senior, she has guided Nansemond River to their current 7-2 record and enjoys the makeup of this year's squad.
"I definitely think it's our team dynamic", she says. "This year I it's the strongest team dynamic we've had in all my four years here. I feel like everybody gets along. I mean it's great and we all have that deep connection with each other.
Woods is off to the University of Iowa after this season where she'll major in neuroscience and says she's okay with walking away from field hockey all together with no Olympic aspirations.
"I'll do a little club (team), but I definitely want to start my life", she said. "Because field hockey, I love the sport and will always love it. But I think there's more to life".
Woods feels the sport is what she does, and not who she is. A definite preference for balance in her future.
