Youthful Baldwin looking to jell
With fewer than half a dozen seniors on Baldwin’s field hockey team, it’s up to the fresh blood to pick up the slack and make a name for themselves as they dive into conference play.
“We’re a very young team, we’re kind of learning on the fly here,” said coach Mike Hoover. “We lost eight starters from last year’s varsity [team] and a lot of leadership, but it’s nice to see the girls stepping into roles that they never had before, and they’re doing pretty good with it.”
Midfielder and captain Soulava Gabr, goalie Morgan Martin and defender Brianna George, have all stepped up as leaders for the Bruins according to Hoover.
“Morgan and Brianna are pretty vocal on the field, and they do a nice job; they’ve been around for a couple of years so they know what it’s all about, we’re just trying to lead the younger ones along,” Hoover said. “We have five sophomores and a freshman and they all play, so it’s really a pretty young team.”
There’s also junior midfielder and captain Emma Tiong-Smith whose prowess and time on the field helps keep all ends of the team together. On top of being a vocal leader, she’s offense-oriented, with three goals against Great Neck North.
With that in mind, Hoover certainly thinks that the underclassmen have adjusted well to the varsity level, with experience being the only missing piece of the puzzle.
“The big thing is they’re not overwhelmed, they’re confident and they’re allowing themselves to be coached by us,” he explained. “I think the future is bright, and this season we’ll hold our own.”
There’s also the off-the-field team chemistry to consider, as a crucial factor for the team’s success.
“I was a little worried about that going in because that could be a problem if you’re sitting up top with leadership and that can be not always very cohesive,” Hoover said. “Surprisingly, it has worked out, you can tell that they really like coming to practice and they like being with each other, and it makes it a lot of fun for us.”
Amongst the outstanding sophomores, Hoover said midfielder and returning starter Isabella Fleck is a player to watch.
“She’s a midfielder, [but] she plays in the back, plays great defense, she’s always around the ball,” he detailed. “The biggest difference between this year and last year with her is her confidence. She’s not waiting for somebody else to make the play, she’s going to make the play, and she’s clearly one of the best athletes on the field. It’s impactful and makes a difference, and I knew that all along, but I think she’s starting to feel it a little bit.”
The biggest unifying factor seems to be the constant push for improvement. Baldwin was 2-4 through six games.
“Not that I don’t care about winning and losing, but every time we walk out on the field, I want to be better than we were when we walked out,” Hoover concluded. “In other words I want to be better in the end of the game than in the beginning of game, and they seem to respond to it and it shows.”
