Two years into a field hockey program means two things: a better understanding of the game and stronger bonds between teammates.  

13 new members have joined the program, along with two new JV captains, freshman Molly Huss and Portia Lefebvre. Senior Sydney Stahlschmidt joined the returning varsity captains, juniors Nikki Reed and Katelyn Goplen. Head coach Kurt Lehmann believes the girls’ skills have developed immensely, especially since the majority of the girls have only recently been introduced to the sport. 

“I think the season is going well,” Lehmann said. “We are much improved over this time last year, with more players having set positions and working better as a team. Most of our girls have only played for a year and a half.” 

Reed agrees that the season is going better than expected and that the team’s work ethic has progressed. 

 “The girls are working hard, and as our second year, it’s definitely better than our first,” Reed said.

The team made alterations to practices and games in order to stay safe from the virus. The girls are required to stay six feet apart, wear masks when not active, and had been banned from doing any contact drills or conditioning at the start of their season, before the regulations changed.

Junior Amelia Dimmock has had difficulty adjusting to some of the new regulations, as she misses some of the after-game traditions. 

“COVID has caused us to social distance during practices and wear masks as soon as we are off of the field,” Dimmock said. “I miss being able to hug my team and high-five opponents.” 

The varsity team has played three games, and recently lost a close game of 0-2 to St. Dominic on Oct. 5.

One of the most challenging aspects of field hockey being a new addition to PCH is that the teams play schools that have been involved with the program for a longer period of time. Despite this slight drawback, senior Maya Gluzman believes the girls maintain an optimistic mindset during each game. 

“It’s honestly quite frustrating being a new team because very few people have experience,” Gluzman said. “We do our best to keep a positive attitude and try to celebrate the little things. What we lack in technical skills during games we make up for in aggressiveness and perseverance.”

The varsity team has three games this week and senior night festivities are beginning on Tuesday, Oct. 13 with a 4:15 start time.