When Eliza Stein started field hockey in 6th grade, it was a recreational activity. She played because her older sister Ally played, and she looked up to her. It did not take long, however, for Eliza to leave her Rec and Ed team behind and jump on the fast track to field hockey success. Eliza joined the Futures, a more competitive team that focused on preparing for a regional tournament and then nationals.
“I started practicing with Futures five hours every weekend. It was a lot of work, but I wanted to get better and that was the best way, ” said Stein. The hard work paid off. Although she had started soccer many years before, she quickly surpassed her skill level in soccer, emerging as a natural in field hockey. Stein emerged as a star player on her 7th grade Tappan team and was named captain her 8th grade year.
The hard work started before school even began, conditioning both with the team and individually. “ My sister was in the program so I knew some what of what to expect; it did not make the work any less though,” said Stein.
After one week of practicing with the team, Stein was moved up to practice with Varsity and continued to work hard to emerge as a contender for a starting spot. With girls up to three grades older, it was a big jump from Tappan to Pioneer varsity. Stein stepped up to the challenge. “It felt good to play against them. It gave me a goal to beat them,” said Eliza.
This competitive attitude made the loss against Marian in the regular season that much more upsetting to Stein. This loss marked the end of four years of undefeated seasons. “It was horrible. We were shocked, we were just disappointed with the way we played. In the long run it probably helped. It made us want to beat them and everyone else even more. It made us a better team. It showed us that we had to work for it “ said Stein.
Pioneer Field Hockey celebrates winning states for a fifth straight year. Stein, now a 9th grader at Community HS, completed a remarkable first season this fall playing with Pioneer, playing in the state finals her first year. “Just waiting on the sidelines was the most nerve racking, but once I got in the nerves went away,” said Stein. Pioneer defeated Huron, two to nothing, to win states for the fifth straight year.
When asked the trick to the team’s success, Stein simply replied, “It was not easy; you have to really want it.”
As the torch is passed from the 2009 to the 2010 team, Stein is sure to emerge as key component in the future success of the program. “I always got nervous before the games… I didn’t want to screw up as the new girl,” she said. Looking into next year Stein appears to be an integral part of the team. The bar is set high with five state championships in a row. Now we can only wait to see how Stein will lead the team and continue the tradition of excellence.
