by Steve Bradley
The field hockey season came to an end last Sunday on the turf at Schuylerville High School. With both teams going into the Section II, Class C championship game with identical 18 – 0 records, it was going to be a disappointing finish to the season for one or the other.
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Schuylerville got out to a two goal lead in the first half. When the Horses scored the first goal just over four minutes into the game, it put the Panthers in the unfamiliar position of playing from behind. It was the first time they had been behind the entire season.
With just under 15 minutes to play in the first half, the Horses added another goal. They had everything going for them at that point. Momentum was on their side and the Panthers were back on their heels with a two goal deficit.
The second half began with the Panthers bringing the momentum back to them. They were more aggressive and spent more time in front of the Horses goal. That all paid off when Liz Ryan scored, giving the Panthers a much needed boost.
From that point on, the game was mostly a draw. With just under four minutes to play, Schuylerville scored one more goal by Kaitlyn Gunter. Gunter scored all three of Schuylerville goals. With time running down that put any chance of evening the score to force overtime out of reach for the Panthers.
Schuylerville is a good team, that’s why they are undefeated. They are quick on their feet and they got to the balls that the Panthers usually get to first. They were on their home turf, home is always an advantage and playing on turf is huge. Field hockey on a turf field is a completely different game as opposed to playing on grass. The ball moves faster, truer and farther. Schuylerville plays on turf, probably every day. The Panthers rarely played on turf this year.
In recent seasons, it was possible to get some time on turf at the Pittstown dome. But that is not an option anymore. The Panthers play on a grass field that was close to being deemed unplayable by game officials earlier this season.
What the answer is to leveling the playing field, literally, at playoff time, is difficult. Perhaps alternating between the two. There’s a reason all state games are held on turf. Field hockey is a better game on turf. It does not appear fair that any team that has a turf field has a competitive edge over a team that doesn’t.
The Ladies ended the season with a fine 18 – 1 record. They had a great year.[/private]