Three best friends. That’s how Maryland field hockey’s Rayne Wright thinks of her fellow senior classmates Anna Castaldo and Logan Anderson.
“Each of us has a different role in this and we’re super funny,” Wright said. “Honestly I don’t think I would have survived these four years without them.”
Wright compared the trio to the characters in “The Hangover.” The three dressed up as the main characters for Halloween in 2021. Castaldo was Alan, Anderson was Phil and Wright was Stu.
While the trio is known for being goofy, they had never been able to show their friendship on the pitch together until this year’s season opener against Stanford.
Wright, Anderson and Castaldo have faced quite a bit of adversity during their time in College Park between a pandemic and injuries. Wright, a four-year starter, has appeared in every game while anchoring the Terps’ defensive unit since her freshman season. Anderson made her debut in the starting lineup for the first time in her Maryland career against the Cardinals. Castaldo returned to action for the first time since tearing her ACL following the 2021 campaign.
“We are always connecting on and off the field and I think to be able to bring the connection we have on the field is really exciting,” Anderson said.
The three haven’t stuffed the stat sheet throughout their careers. But they’ve still made a difference doing the little things.
Castaldo took on more of a coach’s role last season while she was unable to play, remaining a constant presence around the team.
“I have a new perspective and greater appreciation for just playing field hockey and just being physical,” Castaldo said. “It’s just made me a lot happier being able to be back.”
Castaldo has made an impact on the pitch since being back. When Maryland faced Michigan in early October this season, Castaldo knocked the ball into a defender’s foot in the circle in the first quarter that awarded the Terps a penalty corner. Sammy Popper struck for the lone goal of the game on the ensuing corner.
As an anchor on Maryland’s defensive unit, Wright rarely moves up into their offensive third of the field. But she did so in the Terps’ most recent game — a 2-1 win over Indiana. She earned one of Maryland’s six penalty corners.
Wright’s anchoring of the Terps’ defense since stepping foot in College Park was rewarded with a captain honoree this season. Maryland has only allowed 18 goals on the campaign, with Wright spearheading that excellence.
Injuries and bad luck hampered Anderson’s collegiate career. She broke her thumb and missed the entire spring season in 2021. She was diagnosed with vocal cord dysfunction — when your vocal cords close up during exercise — during her sophomore year, but has worked hard to get back to playing this campaign.
Anderson’s lack of quit has been rewarded with a pair of shots this season after not registering any over the prior three years.
“I have really strengthened being a leader for people that are coming off the field just to give advice or help out in practice or do whatever I can to push the team to be at its best,” Anderson said.
The field hockey community is quite small, with many players playing against each other for years prior to college. But the trio hailed from three different states: Castaldo from New York, Wright from Pennsylvania and Anderson from New Jersey. The three never really overlapped before arriving in College Park ahead of the 2020 season.
Castaldo, Anderson and Wright lived in Kent Hall and spent every waking moment with each other during their freshman years, forming a deeper bond than other classes may develop during their first seasons. The trio dealt with online classes and endured in a spring field hockey season — rather than the usual fall — due to the pandemic.
“I feel like that was the base of our friendship and that’s where our friendship really flourished,” Castaldo said. “There were so many positives that came from it for us.”
“We just figured out all the ins and outs of college together from a different perspective than most people do,” Anderson said.
COVID forced coach Missy Meharg to adjust from the norm due to certain restrictions. In an odd way, that’s how she’ll remember the three.
“We did a lot of teaching outdoors,” Meharg said. “I had boards done up and every day they had outdoor classrooms. We had my pickleball court that I made so those guys are dear to my heart.”
Wright, Anderson, and Castaldo team up as passing partners whenever possible during practice, trying to soak up what could be their last season. While the trio has the option of an extra COVID year, none have publicly stated if they will take advantage of that extra campaign.
None of the three know what their futures hold after this season. Wright views the nearing end of field hockey for the trio as “honestly devastating,” while Castaldo and Anderson look at the conclusion of the season in a positive note.
For right now, the three have a lot to play for this year. No. 7 Maryland faces No. 1 Northwestern to close out the regular season on Thursday, with a chance to win a share of the Big Ten regular season title.
Then come the conference and NCAA tournaments. Wright, Castaldo and Anderson will look to clinch an NCAA championship — the program’s first since 2011 — as one final shining moment as teammates in College Park.
