Tuesday Night Lights: Skyline Field Hockey’s Road to the Ship

Tuesday+Night+Lights%3A+Skyline+Field+Hockey%E2%80%99s+Road+to+the+Ship

On Oct. 27, Skyline field hockey played its quarterfinal game against cross-town rival Huron in the first round of the post-season championship. Division II state champs in 2013 and Division I runner-ups in 2014, Skyline’s high-spirited, united yet dynamic team is pursuing the state title for the third year running. After a sweeping win against Sacred Heart in the playoffs, the quarterfinal match against Huron was the first major test of the team’s skills.

With back-to-back interceptions, Huron held aggressive possession of the ball throughout most of the first half, but Skyline sustained its pressure in the midfield. In faceoffs, both teams demonstrated that field hockey is truly a full-body sport, getting down to ground level and using every inch of their arms, legs and sticks to force a turnaround. Players on each side often wound up sprawled on the turf after a desperate dash for the ball.

In a defensive showdown early on, with the score at 1-0 Huron, Skyline narrowly prevented a second goal with a save by goalie Callie Krawcke. The team then stepped up their defense to seal out more of Huron’s relentless attacks on goal at what seemed like the last minute every time. Grace Gagliardi scored Skyline’s first goal at the end of the first half, tying the score up at 1-1. For the remainder of the half, Skyline’s midfielders Tara Shetty and Sydney Schuster held onto the ball under pressure from two or even three of their Huron counterparts, using long calculated passes to drive back towards goal.

Early in the second half, Skyline increased possession, with several close attempts on goal only deflected by Huron’s goalie. Midway through the half, Community High School student Rose Boregarde was awarded a corner shot, giving Skyline the advantage it needed to lock down their attack, which wrestled head-to-head for several minutes with Huron’s tight defense. After numerous, repeated close drives, it cracked: senior team captain Sylvie Isaac scored Skyline’s second goal, bringing Skyline into a 2-1 lead.

With only seven minutes on the clock, Huron forced Skyline to return to defense, driving suddenly towards goal in a desperate attempt to tie the score. Under intensified pressure, Skyline struggled to clear the ball from their end zone, but with less than five minutes left in the game, Huron’s Jackie Mortell scored Huron’s second goal. Skyline manage to secure a last-minute corner shot in the remaining few seconds of the half, leading to a heightened showdown that spanned across both ends of the field, but ultimately couldn’t break the score. With the teams tied at 2-2, a ten minute overtime ensued.

In overtime, with the first team to score to be declared the winner, cautious passes in the midfield gave Skyline a corner shot early in the 10, but tables quickly turned, with rapid changes in possession flinging the ball to all corners of the field. Halfway through OT, Skyline gained a second corner shot and Sydney Schuster scored, bringing Skyline to a triumphant 3-2 win. Skyline will continue on to the semifinal game this Thursday at Pioneer’s Holloway Field.