Field Hockey Gains Depth

After a winning season that concluded with a thrilling win against Andover, Big Red field hockey seeks to continue their successes this season. The team, led by four seniors, looks to add depth to the bench and strengthen the bond between teammates.

Last season, the team continually battled the challenge of scoring. Although its biggest win was a 10-0 shutout of the Tilton Rams, the team suffered from three one-goal losses. Moreover, the grinding Big Red squad barely escaped four games, winning by only one goal.

 Upper Lexi Butler also identified scoring as one of the team’s main issues of the past season. 

“As a team, we’ve always struggled with scoring. It’s not that we don’t have opportunities, we just can’t seem to finish. That’s going to be crucial for us to work on this season,” she said. 

In previous years, the Big Red squad also faced the problem of a shallow bench to support the starting lineup. Players often found themselves changing roles to fill the missing pieces of the team. As a result, they were forced to play positions that they were less familiar with.

“Last season, we had a really short bench and that was a struggle,” Butler said. “We also had a lot more defensemen than forwards, so Coach Pacific was constantly trying different people as forwards and switching up the lines. I feel like we never really got great chemistry because of that.”

But this season, the team is expecting a deep roster, as talented new students arrive to fill the empty spots.

“Fortunately, we have a bunch of recruits coming in that everyone is excited about,” Butler said. “Looks like we might even have a full bench this season! It’ll be key for the returners to try to get to know the recruits and how they play as soon as possible. It could really help our team dynamic.”

While the team graduated a decorated senior class which had two division-one athletes last year, five veteran seniors will lead the team. 

Co-captain Marley Jenkins said that there is a big void to fill from the departure of the 2014 class. “The seniors last year were huge components to the team and we will definitely feel their absence. We had two girls who are playing division-one field hockey this year, and the rest of the seniors were all great players who scored a lot of our goals,” she said. 

Nevertheless, Jenkins believed that this year’s senior class is prepared for a historic season. “This senior class has players at every position, which is good because we can distribute our leadership throughout the field,” she said.

Upper Noa Siegel said that the team is bound for a great run under the seniors’ guidance. “Our seniors this year are going to be really great; we’ve got some strong players and we’ve got some really committed and excited seniors which helps teams morale as a whole,” she said.

The girls kick off the season against Milton Academy with hopes of not only posting a winning record, but also emerging as a powerhouse in the New England prep school field hockey scene.