In the middle of the season, a major change in the average skill and experience of the players of the team has forced members of the current girls field hockey team to make adjustments. So far, the team, coached by Mary Donahue, has gone 1-8 in league.

Team captain senior Taylor Peterson, along with skilled team members senior Joy Montgomery and sophomore Anneliese Gallagher, are striving to overcome challenges, most notably a huge change in team skill level due to the loss of the experienced seniors from the previous year and the arrival of many new players. The season will end on Thursday, November 1, and the team members are working hard on both individual skills and teamwork through training sessions with the coach.

The field hockey team started its training with daily hard work and proper conditioning before the league season began in September. The training for this season was significantly more difficult than that of the previous season, due a decrease in average experience on the team.

“Last season there were thirteen seniors on the team,” Anneliese said. “This season there are only four. Even with all our pre-season training, our team’s performance was lower than that of the previous season.”

Last year’s thirteen seniors had a very high experience level, and were able to work together well during the games. This year, the four current seniors on the team are working on cooperating with all of the new and inexperienced sophomores and freshmen, as the discrepancies in the skills of individuals have made teamwork more difficult for everyone involved.

“This year’s team is very young and inexperienced, so this is a difficult learning year, especially with the team playing high up in the leagues.”

Another reason for the team’s struggles is the recent injuries on the team, including a few impeding back injuries. Other teammates have also gotten injuries or illness and been forced to miss games and training sessions. These injuries and illnesses have greatly impacted the team as every single player is essential to the workings of the team.

Despite these setbacks, the team is now starting over and building up its teamwork skills through better communication and cooperation to match the level of the last year’s team, and its progress is apparent.

“Our latest game against Leland High School was much better than any other game played during the season,” Anneliese said.