Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of prep previews the Dispatch will be running leading up to the start of the season. We will focus on a different sport and team each week.
Field Hockey wasn’t always the first choice for Gilroy’s Emma Leach, Taylor Silacci and Katrina Carter.
Whether it was relatives or friends who pointed them in the direction of the sport, the trio found themselves with a stick in hand and new found passion in their hearts. Now as three of only five of the team’s upperclassmen, these Mustangs are trying to save the program they love from becoming extinct.
“We’ll be going up against teams like Mitty who has 50 players on their freshmen team,” Mustangs coach Adam Gemar said. “We’re lucky if we get 20 girls out total. If these girls don’t lead the team, we’re doomed. They’ve got to be positive. All of them are really good leaders.”
The Mustangs find themselves in unfamiliar territory, struggling to maintain their reputation as an elite program. But with numbers dwindling and the team struggling to fill spots on the varsity roster, it’s becoming harder and harder to do.
But there is hope.
Gilroy found itself in a similar situation last season, but was still able to place third in the historically tough Mt. Hamilton Division with a 15-3-2 overall record. With so many fresh faces to the team this year, the real challenge will be developing team chemistry and harnessing a love within these new players that will keep them coming back.
“You sort of have to go back and think about when you first started and put yourself in their shoes and have patience and encouragement so they end up loving the sport like you do,” senior Leach said of her teammates.
In order to help their younger teammates, Silacci knows that she not only has to encourage them, but set an example for them too. She has high expectations for herself and is hoping that passion will rub off on her younger counterparts.
“I just really want to push myself and keep the intensity level up and improve myself as a player,” Silacci said. “I want to take my playing to the next level and help all the girls through the season.”
That “next level” of play Silacci mentioned is something that Carter was able to experience this summer. The junior was the only player from Northern California selected to the U.S. Junior Olympic field hockey team, giving her the opportunity to play alongside the country’s best up and comers in the sport. That experience is something that Carter believes will help her become a better leader for her teammates this fall.
“The level of play is definitely way higher than anything you’ll experience through high school,” Carter said. “I saw it as a learning opportunity to play with girls at that level. We all just kind of meshed together and I improved a lot over the summer because of that experience. Now I’m just ready to take it to the season.”
Another successful season will hopefully bring back the numbers that the Mustangs so desperately need. Gemar is confident in his trio to get Gilroy back on the right track and restore the team to its former glory for future generations.
The underclassmen have already taken a page from Carter, Silacci and Leach’s book, displaying an incredible work ethic and passion to win.
“They (the freshmen) want to be out here; you can push them and they don’t crumble,” Gemar said. “In two or three years those freshmen will be at the highest level. I guarantee that because I’m pushing them now and they need to be at that level right now. If you give them a few more years they’ll be awesome.”
Christopher Cougars
Last year’s record: 12-1-2 overall
Top returners: Emma Morley, sr., MF; Emily Hilkeen, sr., D/F; Kyle Robinson, sr., G
Key newcomers: Too early to tell
Coach Lia Peterson’s comment: “My expectations is that the girls go into every game with the goal of winning and that they play their strongest. I’d like to make it back to CCS or at least give it a try.”
Analysis: Christopher has strength in numbers. The Cougars lost only five seniors from last year’s squad and are returning 11 players this year. They are adding 13 newbies into the mix who will undoubtedly benefit from playing with such an experienced squad. The core of those returners are on the backend, including in goal, giving the Cougars a strong defensive presence. Offensively the team could benefit from working on their control and stickwork, traits that will improve as the season goes on. If Christopher wants to return to the CCS playoffs, this is its best shot at doing so. Since the team is for the most part unchanged, Christopher has an excellent shot at repeating its success of last season.
