The opportunity to be able to have a season was all that really mattered when it came to field hockey this fall.
Aside from a few rule changes to coincide with COVID-19 safety guidelines, the game remained pretty much intact. The hardest thing for the players to remember was to not pick up the ball with their hands to bring it back in play. With no playoffs and a maximum of 10 games allowed per team, the scoreboard was an afterthought at the end of each game.
“It was honestly kind of nice to take a break from the hard competition and all of the things that come with it,” said Morse head coach Kerri Reno. “The last couple of years we have been trying to become more competitive and have been pushing the team hard, this year was a nice break from that, and the girls just had fun.”
Mt. Ararat head coach Krista Chase described this season as her most memorable in her 19 years of coaching. The Eagles were able to play the maximum amount of 10 games this season, which Chase said was fortunate that it ended up that way.
“Everyone in my program was there to play the game we love,” Chase said. “There were no playoffs, no all-stars, no award recognition, just love for each other and our sport.”
With all of the unknown surrounding the season when it began, Brunswick held their senior day game on the first game of the season. Brunswick head coach Carrie Sullivan thought that it was important to recognize the seniors early when they knew they were still able to.
Yarmouth’s Abby Hill drives with the ball as Myah Jensen moves in on defense for Freeport during an Oct. 21 game in Freeport. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer Buy this Photo
“Our philosophy from day one was different, just to play for the love of the game and to make sure that we honor our seniors,” Sullivan said. “Everything else that occurred after was just icing on the cake for all of us.”
Although the season was a bit different, Mt. Ararat was able to hold their annual ‘Drive Out Cancer’ fundraiser. Despite no event, the team was still able to raise $3,000 for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. The Eagles wore their pink jerseys for the event during their game vs. Brunswick, a game in which the Eagles won 2-1 in overtime.
Megan Reed, a junior Mt. Ararat defenseman, described that game as her most memorable moment from the season.
“The game against Brunswick really stands out to me,” Reed said. “It was a great game, we got to wear our pink jerseys, and beat our rival in overtime, it was an awesome day for sure.”
While Sullivan feels blessed to have had a season, there is a sense of sadness that the team was unable to do activities together that they normally do off the field.
“We weren’t able to do our usual off the field activities, so that was definitely a little unfortunate,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan thinks that due to the lack of team activities, that the girls created a bond off the field that translated into their play.
“They definitely had to bond on the field this year, they don’t even get to see each other at school much,” Sullivan said. “Because of this that created an on the field bond that may not have occurred before.”
With regional scheduling, teams saw some teams that they normally wouldn’t have faced. For Class B Morse, it was a step up when facing the Class A likes of Brunswick and Mt. Ararat. Reno welcomed the challenge and enjoyed it.
“It was cool to see new teams, and I really enjoyed seeing the girls making friends on different teams,” Reno said. “The commodity between the teams was a joy to see in a time like this.”
Copy the Story LinkComments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
