Lady Bills shine brightly
Ringer has three goals and two assists in win over Bethlehem
Two years ago, the Johnstown varsity field hockey team went through a multitude of emotions. The entire sports program had to go out and raise money in order to compete at all. Once the Lady Bills hit the field, they captured a Section II Class C title.
The coronavirus pandemic took away field hockey during the fall and threatened to take away the final varsity campaign for eight seniors on the roster. The Lady Bills are now competing in Fall Season II and on a beautiful Monday afternoon, showed they truly are back in form.
Johnstown needed only a minute of action against Bethlehem to score and the Lady Bills put together a stellar 60-minute showing in generating an 8-0 victory over the Eagles at Knox Field.
“I think we are back,” Johnstown senior forward Ann Lee said. “We are ready and determined. We are trying to make the most of the season and put the ball into the cage as much as we can.”
“It was nerve-racking not knowing if I would put on this jersey for Johnstown field hockey again,” senior forward Taryn Ringer said. “I am so happy I did and we’re getting to play. I am just really happy to be with my family again before we graduate.”
Having its 2020 season put on hold until Fall Season II means there are no sectionals or state playoffs for the Lady Bills. Johnstown finished with a 20-1 record during the 2019 season, falling 1-0 against Bronxville in the Class C state final.
“My heart broke for them in the fall,” Johnstown coach Christine Krempa said. “Here is when I get emotional ... these kids mean the world to me. This senior class were the first group I had in the youth program I started.”
“It was really disappointing,” Lee said. “We saw teams from other sections that
played in the fall and they put Foothills on hold. It was a waiting game from then on. Once we got the clear, it was an amazing feeling.”
Johnstown opened its season on March 16 with a 1-0 decision over Foothills Council rival Queensbury. Monday, a squad that brought back 10 of 11 starters and produced 90 goals during the 2019 season, returned to its prolific scoring ways against Bethlehem (2-1).
“We wanted to come out fast, hard and put them on their heels,” Krempa said.
Lee opened the scoring when she made the insert on a penalty corner and pounced on a wide-open rebound opportunity following a shot by senior midfielder Emily Fleming. The same combination hooked up again early in the second quarter. This time Lee deposited a rebound following a backhanded shot in the middle from Fleming.
Ringer, the 2019 Times Union field hockey Player of the Year after scoring 44 goals as a junior, notched the next two goals for Johnstown. She lobbed in a shot from in close in the second quarter and scored on an incredible breakaway in the third quarter. The Duke University-bound standout outraced three Bethlehem defenders to get to the loose ball and made an adjustment as two more defenders closed in from behind.
“The good thing about our team is (opponents) know Taryn and Emily. We have a lot of other threats, so when they are guarded, we put the trust on the other players,” Lee said.
Fleming, who is headed to Appalachian State, contributed a shot from long range to go along with her assists. Ayaka Sasaki, a sophomore, scored two goals in the second half. Ringer finished with three goals and two assists.
“A lot of the underclassmen stepped up today and it is really nice to see. I was really proud of (Sasaki),” Ringer said. “We are playing like we are going to the state playoffs again. We’re not promised the next game. Easily, we could be thrown into quarantine, so we’re playing like every game is a state playoff game. That is our motivation: play your hardest because it could be your last game.”
“We are going to make the best of it, so even though we can’t have a postseason, we’re going to do the best we can of what we have,” Lee said.
“I am extremely grateful that we are back out here,” Krempa said. “As much as I want Bethlehem to come out and have a good game, I want my girls to channel all of their frustrations at not having a fall season and not having a chance to win a state championship and take it out on whoever is across from us.”