Field Hockey Struggles Through Season Despite Strong Defensive Performances

Girls’ field hockey finished a frustrating season last fall, ending with a record of 5-8-4. Despite starting off with two wins, the rest of the season was filled with goalless games and close losses.

Prior to last season, the team lost many key players from the class of 2015 such as former co-captains Marley Jenkins ‘15 and Carly Perreault ‘15. The girls struggled to transition to the new roster. Luckily, to counter the loss of graduating players, the team also had a strong group of girls returning such as seniors and co-captains Allegra Grant, Courtney Peyko and Bronwyn Shields.

As the season commenced, the girls started strong with a 4-2 win against Groton School. Big Red followed this victory with a win against Milton Academy the next week as the team bested their opponent 1-0.

Despite this exciting start, the next four games hampered the team’s momentum. The girls suffered a 0-3 loss against Governor’s Academy, then two scoreless ties against Deerfield Academy and Cushing Academy and finally a 1-1 tie against Brewster Academy.

Even amidst these disappointing results, the team still had some optimistic moments  and standout performances. In particular, their goalie, Grant, displayed great prowess in the net during the team’s scoreless game against Deerfield. Generally, the defensive players stood out as the strongest part of Exeter’s team, led by experienced seniors like Peyko.

“They are such a supportive team and foster such a special team dynamic, and I don’t think I’ll ever play for another team that makes me feel more at home than with these girls.”

While the girls seemed to bounce back in mid-October with a 4-0 win against Pingree school and a 2-0 win against Tilton school, the rest of the season brought more disappointing games. The team lost three games in a row against Brooks School, Hotchkiss and Tabor Academy, failing to score in all of the losses.

However, many of the team’s younger players got a chance to compete in these matches, providing some impressive performances. Prep Michaela O’Brien made her goalie debut in the Big Red’s matchup against Brooks School. Her strong showing brought hope for the future of girls’ field hockey. “She killed it—she made some terrific saves at the end of the game that really brought up the team’s energy and kept us in the game,” upper Caroline Colbert said.

Part of the team’s hardship came from the absence of Grant during the middle of the season. Grant returned to the net during the team’s game against Tabor Academy, during which Big Red lost 0-2. The team was disappointed with the loss, as it brought their record under .500 for the first time, but the girls still retained confidence for the rest of the season.

The girls ended their season with four losses, including a close loss against Andover at the fall E/a. As usual, Grant’s strong performance kept the girls in the game, although they ultimately fell 0-1.

The last game of the season was emotional for many of the seniors on the team. “It was really sad knowing that E/a was my last game with [the team]. They are such a supportive team and foster such a special team dynamic, and I don’t think I’ll ever play for another team that makes me feel more at home than with these girls,” Grant said.

Looking forward, the team will lose strong players with the graduation of Grant, Peyko and Shields, as well as seniors Noa Siegel, Lexi Butler, Kate Pontbriand and Meghan Corcoran. However, the team has optimistic prospects with talented underclassmen to carry the team moving forward.