The Infinity Sports Club made program history recently when its U19 field hockey team captured the gold medal in the prestigious California Cup International Tournament May 26-29 at Moorpark College.
This represents the first time Infinity’s highest age group won gold at the Cal Cup. Infinity went a perfect 6-0 in the tournament, culminating with a 3-1 victory in the championship game. Last year, the U19 team took bronze.
“Our team was better in every position this year,” said Adam Gemar, who coached the team along with Dani Hemeon Perez and Micky Blean. “But I do feel like there were many similarities from last year’s team to this year. No one was selfish, they really passed well, no one held on to the ball very long.”
The South Valley and the city of Gilroy specifically have become somewhat of a hotbed in developing field hockey talent. Sixteen of the 17 players on the U19 team currently play or did play at Christopher High and Gilroy High.
The roster included Jade Moncada, Ella Miura, Angelene Castro, Lily Lerma, Kaitlyn Nguyen, Jamie Dempsey, Kamryn Krejdovsky, Madison Krejdovsky, Kaylin Battaglia, Alexa Booth, Alliya Camacho, Sophie Gonzalez, Addison Tate, Annelise Lerma, Caitlynn Holt, Dominique Flores and Erin Castro.
Gemar said it was a total team effort and everyone had standout performances, including from the three recently graduated seniors: Battaglia, Angelene Castro and Lily Lerma. Gemar said Castro’s ability to move the ball as a right-side midfielder was vital on many fronts.
“Her touch [is key] because she’s on the strong side and sticks are right-handed so her playing off on the right side helps,” Gemar said. “She’s just an amazing athlete and understands the game on that specific side.”
Gemar added that Booth, Moncada and Nguyen locked it down defensively, noting their efficiency in switching the field from the back end.
“Our defenders were amazing and awesome, all the players were,” Gemar said. “Just a complete team. That’s what I liked about this group, everyone was a superstar.”
Though goalie is her best position, Kamryn Krejdovsky was a standout at forward because Infinity has a wealth of talent at the goalie position, including Erin Castro and Flores. The latter two players split the time in goal in the Cal Cup.
With just three graduated seniors, most of the players off this year’s championship-winning team are projected to return next year for another go-around in the Cal Cup. The recent grads can also return since it’s a U19 age group. However, all of the underclassmen are a testament to the depth of field hockey talent in the area.
“I’m excited to see the youth of our team playing so well,” Gemar said.
Infinity gained another feather in its cap when five of its players were selected to compete in the Nexus Junior Championships July 6-16 in Virginia Beach, Va. Katie Garrison and Moncada were selected to the U18 team and Nguyen and Danica Lopez were selected for the U16 team, with Kamryn Krejdovsky an alternate.
The aforementioned players earned their spots after taking part in the Region 11 West Coast selection camp at Moorpark College in May. The top players to advance out of the Nexus Championship will be invited to participate in the 2023 AAU Junior Olympic Games and additional Junior National Team selection opportunities.
Moncada and Krejdovsky were pivotal in helping lead Gilroy High’s field hockey team to the Central Coast Section playoff semifinals last November, while Nguyen, Lopez and Garrison were instrumental in leading Christopher High to a historic first-ever CCS title game appearance.
