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Driving through adversity

Paxton Diana ‘26

Oct 11, 2024

Last week, Mercersburg Academy’s girls’ field hockey team’s game versus the Lawrenceville school was canceled and subsequently rescheduled giving the group more time to hone their skills before facing the expected high-level competition. To date this Fall, the team has faced tough opponents, but despite disappointing losses, the girls continue to train diligently and play with resilience and determination.

The team has trained hard throughout the season, with Head Coach Michaela Singer saying, “ We have been taking advantage of Mr. Canida's workouts every Monday to build strength, agility, and endurance. We had a lot of first-time players this year so it started slow at first, but now we are moving at a good pace. The defense has been solid in controlling the pace of the game while the offense has shown consistent improvement in set pieces and creating scoring opportunities.” Alishya Thurmond ’26 said, “During practices, we tend to focus on the fundamentals but we are always trying new things to expand our skill set.” Adi Rinker ’27 explained, “We focused on a lot of stick work such as when to move and where to move in specific positions. We also worked on corners since that is where lots of goals are made”. 

The team has had to reshape its dynamic this year. Pritz Pritzker ’25 said, “We started this season with a lot of new players. We have new freshmen, sophomores, and juniors but also kids who haven't played before. [However,] it's a great sport to start even later in high school because of how fun and fast-paced the game is.” Coach Singer observed, “Stevie Keck is a first-year field hockey player who learned the game fairly quickly. Stevie is playing the sweeper position and has recorded three defensive saves so far this season.”

The team bonded very quickly as they trained together. Ava Guzic ’25 explained, “Our team dynamic is very chill and welcoming because we have a lot of players from all different skill levels.” Thurmond added, “I’d consider us a family. We always say Mercersburg field hockey is like no other team when it comes to our connections. We treat each other like sisters, always have each other's backs, and strive as a team to succeed.”  

Despite a rough record so far, the field hockey team remains positive. Lexi Chepren ’26 said, “Our goal is to have a strong work ethic. Since we work hard on the field during practices, that mindset, and hard work can also be put into our games.” Goalie Gray Beard ’25 added, “Our main goals are to truly just get better in skill, have fun, and bond as a team.” Pritzker stated, “My goal as team captain is I want people to continue to play even for next fall. I want people to love this sport as much as I've loved it for the past 4 years.” 

On Tuesday, the team will play a home game against an always-strong Forbes Road High School on Regents Field. 

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