The field hockey team won their season home opener on Tuesday against Webster 5-0, after finishing their preseason with two consecutive wins.
“These wins are showing us that the work we have put in during the off-season practices have paid off,” senior center forward Morgan Angle said.
Following the loss of their senior players, who made up half of varsity, Angle said the team has had to work “extra hard to get to the level” they’re at today. Yet, the chemistry between the girls is the strongest it’s been since she’s been on the team.
“Our positioning and movement on the field as a team is what is leading us to these wins,” Angle said. “We could not be happier with the outcomes.”
Junior defensive player Mia Schomber said, although the absence of previous players has affected them, the team will be just as good, if not better, than they were last year.
“The loss of so many people from the team have made sure that we are a whole new team this year,” Schomber said. “[The team] has a great vibe and makes the game really enjoyable.”
The biggest difference this season has been the change in coaching staff. After former head coach Jamie Henderson resigned last year, coach Kristina Johnson took her place and is having the team prioritize being positive and united.
“My expectation from the players is to feel proud of themselves as individuals and as a team,” coach Johnson said. “I know they will compete at a high level, and my job is to teach them little by little how to get there.”
On Sept. 2, the team will be playing at the Gateway Classic, a tournament they won last year for the first time in six years.
“Our mindset will continue to be the same throughout the whole season, get the W,” coach Johnson said. “We’re hungry to show our opponents that we are a good team and should be seen as a challenge.”