by Michaela Conrady
The Pilgrim girl’s field hockey team is a strong group of girls, showing their dedication, and teamwork match after match. The field hockey team saw their last game before playoffs this past week, on October 16th, all showing up to Vets Field just a few hours after school ended to get ready to face Cumberland High School the night of Homecoming. Patriots maintained a fierce defense and scored once against Cumberland.
The Pilgrim field hockey team puts in the work from beginning to end, as Coach, Stephanie Shields shared, “The season starts at the end of August and from that point on we are playing field hockey, practice or games, everyday, Monday-Friday with some occasional Saturdays.” On top of their daily work throughout the season, the Patriots play in a summer league, keeping up their skills and teamwork. In these summer league matches, they match up against Tollgate once a week. Additionally, when they start the sport, field hockey isn’t played in younger leagues, so most players are learning from scratch. Assistant Coach Ken Genereux explains, “…we focus on conditioning and building stick skills. As the season progresses we continue with those skills, adding in passing and positioning.” And as freshman goalie Mariyah Blair (#00) shared, “Starting on the team has been scary but also fun, the team is very encouraging which helps tremendously.”
Pilgrim’s field hockey team also has a small graduating class this year, with just two seniors moving on from the team, Hope Fitzpatrick (#16) and Addison Mendoza, (#14) one of the teams’ captains. Mendoza has played since her freshman year, and Fitzpatrick has played with the team for two years, and with just two seniors, both are key members for the Patriots and a major driving force behind the group. In regards to their senior night match, Blair shared that, “Senior night was nice, to appreciate them for all they have done.”
Alongside the encouragement from their seniors and captains, the effort from the team is evident, with an incredible work ethic, remarkable teamwork, and dedication. Junior Mazie McKeever, (#1) one of the team’s four captains, shares her experience watching the team grow, “This year I have really noticed a huge difference in our playing. We have such a determined team who want to win even though it has been hard, we have grown so much since even the beginning of the season.”
The day before Homecoming, Pilgrim won 2-0 against Smithfield in a Thursday game, one of many Thursday games they have throughout the season. This success was a significant show of teamwork, with freshman Arianna Mirabella (#5) scoring the second goal of the match with an assist from Lyla Amitrano, (#6) who is also a captain.
The Patriots are confident about their future, and we wish them luck as they start the playoffs with a faceoff against Smithfield, again, on October 23rd!
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