THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 27, 1996 TAG: 9610250283
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 26 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY REA FARMER, CLIPPER SPORTS EDITOR
LENGTH: 111 lines
THE FIRST FIELD hockey season in Chesapeake history opened in a state of chaos and ended with a murky playoff picture. But, overall, city coaches felt good about how their programs progressed.
The six Chesapeake schools added the sport this year when Nansemond River and Lakeland, two field hockey powers in Group AA, joined the Southeastern District.
Initially, coaches battled equipment problems and anxiously sought playing fields. By mid-season, the logistical aspects of the game had been settled and schools like Hickory, Great Bridge and Oscar Smith were developing into strong programs with title hopes.
At the end of the season, Oscar Smith, Great Bridge and Hickory all wound up in a three-way tie for third place, setting up a playoff for the last two district tournament berths. A coin flip was to be held after press time Friday to determine which team would receive a bye in the first game. The other two teams would play Monday. Monday's winner joins Nansemond River and Lakeland in the tournament while Monday's loser was to take on the bye team Wednesday for the final playoff spot. The district tournament starts Thursday at Nansemond River.
The Chesapeake schools have come a long way since those first couple of games, when goals were so hard to come by for the new teams.
``It was tough to score goals because of the inexperience,'' Great Bridge coach Susan Smith said. ``But that did improve as the season went on.''
In fact, every aspect of the sport steadily improved as the weeks passed.
Hickory, under the guidance of Andrea McCloud, took the early lead among Chesapeake schools. The Hawks spent the summer conditioning and running, getting ready for the taxing season. Hickory had such a large turnout, McCloud was one of few coaches who actually cut players at tryouts. Most struggled to fill their rosters.
McCloud's positive attitude spilled over onto her team and led to a record blemished only by losses to Nansemond River (6-0 final score) and Lakeland (1-0) and Great Bridge (1-0).
``It's been so exciting,'' McCloud said. "The girls came out with no experience as far as field hockey skills. It's exciting for a coach to see the girls go from zero level to this level. It's been my greatest experience.''
Experience is a word that hasn't been batted around the district much this season.
At Oscar Smith, basketball coach Patty Walsh took the field hockey job mere weeks before the season opened and immediately began calling her basketball players.
The plan worked. Basketball players Joetta Thorpe and Brooke Coley and basketball/soccer player Katie Kraemer rose to the challenge and paced the Tigers to a 4-3 league record that included a regular season-ending 2-0 defeat to unbeaten Nansemond River that was 0-0 until the last 10 minutes.
``It's been challenging learning the sport,'' said Walsh, who was exposed to field hockey only slightly ahead of her team. ``When I taught P.E. I taught a semester of field hockey. That was the extent of my experience.
``Having (volunteer assistant coach) Connie Riebel was a great asset. If I had questions, she could always answer them and she could always help.''
Riebel played high school field hockey in New Jersey and coached junior varsity field hockey for five years in Pennsylvania.
The Tigers provided several of the season's highlights when Thorpe posted the first goal by a Chesapeake player, then the first hat trick.
``The hat trick, that was a nice highlight,'' Walsh said. ``I just enjoyed the overall development of the team and seeing how much they're enjoying the game after not wanting to come out for the team.''
Great Bridge made a solid tournament run, snagging a piece of the tie with the victory over Hickory on Wednesday.
``I thought we had a great season,'' Smith said. ``I'm really happy with how we came out. We had really strong defense. (Most of) the games we did lose were to teams that had been playing for a while and if teams did score, we never allowed more than three goals in a game.''
The Wildcats also benefited from a jump-start on the season, playing in a summer league and attending camps and clinics. When the season opened, the Wildcats quickly faced Nansemond River and Lakeland.
``This was a brand new team and having to play Nansemond River and Lakeland threw them off from the beginning,'' Smith said.
At Deep Creek, coach Christy Taylor Butts overcame three key injuries and kept an upbeat and determined squad on the field. The Hornets played tough Beach and Eastern district opponents for non-league fare. Although they had failed to notch a victory as of Wednesday, Butts was impressed with the players' improvement.
``It's been a tough year,'' she said. ``Our scores weren't indicative of how much the girls improved. We haven't won yet, but I'm proud of the way we've been working hard. We've always come out with a passion to play field hockey.''
Butts, who has only one senior, highlighted the play of goalkeeper Kristin Boyd.
``If not for her, we would have been a little worse off than we were,'' Butts said. ``I am extremely proud of these girls.''
At Western Branch, several soccer players made the transition to field hockey easily. Senior Jessica Manuleaua paced the Bruins.
``She picked the game up pretty good,'' coach Heather Davis said. "She's very aggressive and doesn't give up. She's a no-holds-barred kind of player.''
Soccer standout Beth Johnson, Shelly Gardner, Casey Onhaier and Sally Dalton also caught Davis' eye as they continually improved.
``Our record does not show the ability we have, a lot of our losses have been 1-0,'' Davis said. "But for the most part, the kids kept their heads up.''
Indian River endured hardships throughout the majority of the season. At midseason, Braves coach Debbie Eagan and her players could be found running drills in the gym because of field availability.
With the opening season barely closed, the coaches are already looking to an improved 1997.
``They're starting to understand what hockey looks like and are having fun,'' McCloud said. ``I think it'll be something that'll grow in popularity.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo by L. TODD SPENCER
Kim Irby of Great Bridge, left, and Sara Joy Bergey of Hickory face
off in a game that Great Bridge won, 1-0.
KEYWORDS: HIGH SCHOOL FIELD HOCKEY by CNB