In sports, there is no substitute for repetition in games to help athletes hone their skills and adapt to what the team is trying to achieve. Although it is possible to learn by observing what others are doing on the field, every minute spent on the bench is another opportunity missed to improve an athlete's feel for the game.
Virginia field hockey goalkeepers Amy Desjadon and Devon Burnley face the challenge of limited playing time. In nearly every contest this season, Desjadon, a redshirt junior, and Burnley, a freshman, have split time, with one taking the first half and the other playing the second. Since goalkeepers get only limited opportunities to make plays -- a typical half may see two or three saves per side -- seeing just half a game of action is even harder due to the nature of the goalkeeper position.
"Sometimes it's tough just to sit there and watch," Burnley said. "Even when you're in the game you have to sit and watch your offense, and not be up there helping them."
As a redshirt junior who had received only meager minutes up until this year, Desjadon finds the situation particularly difficult since she must face the possibility that she will never have the goal to herself. Yet as the season has progressed, she has gone beyond coming to terms with this situation -- she has even embraced it.
"In the beginning I was kind of frustrated with it," Desjadon said. "But it's honestly a good feeling, it's a supportive feeling."
According to Virginia coach Michele Madison, the basis for the decision to split halves between the two goalkeepers is to keep both feeling confident and involved, so that if one is unavailable, the other can readily be called on. That situation already presented itself earlier this year, when Burnley had to step in and play all 70 minutes in back-to-back games against Maryland and California after Desjadon missed time due to a concussion.
With the possibility of Desjadon leaving after this season, it is of particular importance that Burnley develop into a dependable starter that Virginia can count on in the coming years.
Burnley "does need to get the experience," Desjadon said. "If I don't stay for my fifth year, and she never played, then next year would be a really rude awakening for her."
While the two goalkeepers have very similar numbers -- Desjadon has saved 74.4 percent of shots, compared with Burnley's 70.7 percent -- each brings a different set of skills to the net. Whereas Desjadon is more aggressive and more likely to fly out at an oncoming forward, Burnley tends to play it safer, hugging her line and playing the angles.
Desjadon sees this as an advantage that Virginia has over other teams, because the opposition can't prepare for just one style of play.
"With scouting reports, if you keep one goalie in like a lot of teams do, they get to know their rhythm," Desjadon said.
In addition, the contrasting styles that the two goalkeepers offer have given each a new perspective on how to play the position. While both Burnley and Desjadon essentially stick to the style they are most comfortable with, each has learned that the other's approach may be more suited to certain situations.
"Over the years, you get a whole bunch of different coaches ... and they all teach you different styles, and you just take different pieces from everyone and form your own style," Burnley said. "That's kind of how it is with [Desjadon] -- I learn a little bit from her, and she learns a little bit from me."
Both Burnley and Desjadon say the most rewarding part of the experience this year has been the bond that has formed between them. Rather than allowing the competition for playing time to place distance between them, the two have used their shared experiences to help one another improve on the field and to become great friends off the field.
"The only reason why we push each other is because we want to win, and we want to get better," Burnley said. "We're really good friends. We talk about that all the time, how the competition is good."
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