She leads the team in shots, and is tied with Kate Martin and Chris Sailer with four goals.

The big change, from last year, is her relaxed attitude. "I've really calmed down out there," Field says. "I have a tendency to lose my temper, but I've realized I'm never going to get anywhere throwing my stick around."

The redheaded dynamo admits to no hobbies off the field--except sports. She loves skiing and racquetball, runs and lifts weights daily, and plans to play rugby this spring for the Boston Women's Rugby Club.

But like many female athletes, Field realizes that after graduating she cannot earn a living through her sports skills. So, for years she has considered sports-related occupations. "I've wanted to be a sports-caster since I was in sixth grade," she adds.

Field's current plans for post-graduate work range from a head-first plunge into the media market to a two-year stint at business school, to "postpone the decision."

But she is sure about one thing. "I plan to establish a career, I am not a traditional role person, and I will not be a housewife," she said.

The West Coast still fascinates Field, and she may end up in Oregon after all. But right now Cambridge suits her, and she's content to play the duck out of water around her academic-oriented classmates.

As long as Field has sports to occupy her mind, she won't spend too much time worrying about the future. Besides, the future means graduation, and then the unknown. "The closer you get to a decision like that," Field says, "the more you want to put it off."