"I feel really confident with them in front of me," Barry said. "They listen to me, and on corners they always are on top of the game. They are really good to have."
Headed for the University of Iowa, Barry said she is looking forward to breaking the national record because she has worked so hard over the years.
"I never thought that I would be in this position to break records," said the 17-year-old from Voorhees, whose older sister, Nicole, is the starting keeper for Boston College.
Alana Barry said that Nicole, Eastern's starting goalie in 2007 and 2008, was her inspiration to play well, so she took the sport seriously. A member of the Jersey Intensity Field Hockey Club since fifth grade, Barry didn't stop playing after Eastern bowed to Oak Knoll, 4-2, in the Tournament of Champions last November.
Always looking for an opportunity to improve her skills, the then-member of the U.S.A. Field Hockey Futures, an Olympic Development program, flew to Phoenix to participate in a field hockey festival, followed by a showcase and an indoor tournament.
"With all of the practices and good coaches I have had, I feel that my skills have gotten better," Barry said.
Eastern, which is in the Olympic Conference American Division, has improved, too.
Last year, the Vikings were so inexperienced that Eastern coach Danyle Heilig said they were the youngest and most inexperienced varsity team that she had fielded since she took over the program in 1999.
The players responded by rolling to a 26-1 record, and only two of them, a forward and a defender, graduated.
Barry, with only one seasoned senior playing defense in front of her last year, compiled 18 shutouts, putting herself in good position early this season to go for the record.
