BACK ON TRACK
After a shaky start, Saratoga has returned to form
SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY » Two and a half weeks ago, the Saratoga Springs field hockey team suffered a blowout loss to Shenendehowa, a game that was a low-point of their season.
Since then, the Blue Streaks have bought into changes to their system and have really turned around their season.
“We’ve definitely stepped up our game since then. I think that tough Shen game made us realize that we just needed to step it up,” said junior midfielder Riley Jameson. “We have fire under our breaths, we just had to light it and go from there. We knew that we had potential, we just needed a little switch to turn it on and to go all out.”
After the Shen game, Saratoga began changing things up all across the field and have an entire new look as a teamand they’ve been showing in on the field the past few weeks.
“We’ve completely changed our system from what wewere doing then. We’ve changed the clientele. We have a different mindset. The kids have really stepped up, which is a really hard thing to do in a shortened season,” said Saratoga coach JoAnne Hostig.
The Blue Streaks have now won five out of their last six games, as of their victory over Columbia on Friday night. Their one loss came against Guilderland, the defending Section 2, Class A champions, in a close 1- 0 game.
“They’ve done a really nice job with adjusting to the changes that we’ve wanted to make. I wish it was a longer season because I think we would grow even more, but I’m happy with the progress we’ve made so far in a short period of time.”
As Saratoga goes into the final week of the regular season, they will face off against Niskayuna and get a rematch against Shen, in their final game of the season on November 11.
This past week was held a defining slate of games for the Blue Streak’s season, who decided to show just how much theywere determined towin. They came out on topof two games that went to shootouts. First on November 2, they defeated the mighty Burnt Hills Spartans, defending Class B champions in a shootout, 1- 0. On November 4, they again defeated Shaker in a shootout, 2-1.
A huge key in those victories was senior goalie Emma Piccirillo, who only allowed one shootout goal to get past her in both of those games combined.
“Coach Hostig always wants us working on the one- on- ones at practice, so ifwe get into situations like this, we’re prepared so we knowwhat it’s going to take towin,” Piccirillo said after coming out on top in the shootout against Shaker.
She was quick to pass along credit to her teammates for their encouragement in those stressful moments.
“I knew I could rely on my teammates both in the Burnt Hills game and today against Shaker. They were all cheering me on, on the sidelines. We were all super positive, getting hyped up during the game and during the shootout. I just think that we wanted it so bad and we proved that on the field both nights,” she said.
As much as goalie play is crucial to being successful in shootouts, so is having a plan on the offensive side of the ball. Not only were Saratoga’s two shootout wins against good teams, they were against two of the top goalies in the Suburban Council, Senja Matson of Burnt Hills and Davin Testo of Shaker.
Jameson acknowledged that the key going in to the one- on- ones is having confidence.
“We definitely have to bring our A- game to a shootout since anything can happen, have confidence in ourselves and go right for it without any regrets,” she said. “Our team’s confidence is pretty high right now and I just want to see that grow and for us to succeed as a team. Even though we’re a young bunch, we have somuch potential right now.”
Even though both games had a similar result, they were two very different contests, requiring two different styles of play. Against Burnt Hills, it was a defensive match up where neither team scored a goal during the regulation or overtime periods. Against Shaker, Saratoga was down entering the fourth quarter and needed a comeback in order to make it to the shootout.
“Burnt Hills is a very good team. We played an exceptional game that day. Shaker was a much different game, a different style of play and we played well,” Hostig said. “I knew it was going to be tough to get behind their goalie. That was our main objective to get in there and try to get more corners and more shots.”
Following their 8- 0 loss the Shen, Piccirillo and her defense did now allow a goal at all in their next two games, which were against Niskayuna and Columbia. Those two shutout wins were followed by a 1- 0 loss to Guilderland and then the two shootout wins against Burnt Hills and Shaker. Most recently, they defeated Columbia 5- 0, in another shutout.
Overall, Piccirillo only allowed two regulation goals to get past her during that span.
“I knew that coming into my senior season that I had to step up more as a leader on the defensive side, for Gracie [Holtby], our junior goalie, and a lot of the defense that just came up to varsity. We’re a relatively young bunch, with only three starters returning from last season, so I knew that I had to step up,” Piccirillo explained.
Sophomore Aubrey Ide summed up what the Blue Steaks are hoping to get out of the remainder of the season, as it will be drawing to a close in the coming weeks.
“I’m looking forward to having these opportunities with my teammates because not every team is able to play right now and that’s not something that we take for granted,” Ide said. “We’re really grateful that we can.”