Many teams lose players during the season, but not the J. Taylor Finley Middle School field hockey squad, which actually gained five players during the opening weeks. It’s a credit to second year head coach Marissa Bergmann who is quietly building a winning program.
There were 12 players at the first practice, but before long the field was filled with 17 seventh and eighth graders much to the delight of their coach.
The team proved to be formidable, defeating many opponents that had long taken Finley as a guaranteed win. Finley finished with a mark of 6-1-1 with the only loss coming against East Northport, 1-0 in an usual game.
Due to East Northport’s lack of players, the game was played in a 8 x 8 format, which required Finley to make a major adjustment. “We battled to the end, but came up short on a fast break,” Bergmann said.
Finley’s top offensive players included seventh graders Campbell Arthur, Alexa Wasoski, Gabriella Jones and Ava Bencivenga and eighth grader Sophie Hoffman. The top defenders on the team were seventh graders Darcy Rimkumas and Karina Rodriguez and eighth graders Elliot Manu, Deveren Flynn and Maddelyn Falk.
“Elliot is an outstanding captain and teammate,” Bergmann said. “She is a very fierce competitor, fearless and determined. She did not let anyone get past her. She stopped every ball that came her way. She had great drives for us and made huge plays when we needed it most. She is going to do great things next year at the high school.”
Hoffman is also a captain and excellent player who tallied the most assists on the team. “She is an all-around natural field hockey player,” Bergmann said. “She has great drives and amazing stick skills. She does all the little things to get the ball up the field and get her teammates the ball to score. She will be a great asset to the high school team next year.”
Bencivenga shined at midfield. “Ava made great passes and was able to see the field well,” Bergmann said. “She helped us out tremendously on corners. She is fearless and battled for every 50-50 ball.”
Another player new to the sport and billed as a “natural” is Jones, who led Finley in scoring. “Gabby works hard and never gives up when she is near the goal,” Bergmann said. “She always has her stick down and is ready to score. She makes great passes to her teammates.”
Wasoski has also picked up the game quickly. “She is a great competitor that is driven and focused on the field,” Bergmann said. “She helped us advance the ball up the field and always had second effort. She was a great team player.”
Falk was an exceptional captain and a legitimate defensive star. “She stepped up for us in the when we needed her,” Bergmann said. “She is supportive of her teammates and does a great job communicating on the field.”
Flynn was Finley’s fourth captain and she displayed a dramatic improvement in skills over the prior season. “Deveren was a key part to our defense and did a great job of not letting anyone get past her,” Bergmann said. “She helped transition the ball up the field with her outstanding stick skills.”
Arthur was another spectacular addition to the Finley field hockey program. “She has ice hockey experience that helped us in many games,” Bergmann said.
Gracie Griffith was outstanding in goal. “She has also is an experienced ice hockey player, which helped her in goal,” Bergmann said. “She made many key saves.”
Even the team’s manager was a star. “Sara Benitez was simply outstanding,” Bergmann said. “She was always there to support her teammates.”
The season included many highlights, but a few really stood out. “Our best team accomplishment was when we were playing at Stimson,” Bergmann said. “We were losing 1-0 and we came back and scored two goals to win. The girls were determined and kept fighting. It was a great team win. All the girls worked together to get the ball up the field and were very unselfish that game.”
What’s especially impressive about the season is that for each one of the eighth graders, there were almost two seventh graders.
“This is an amazing group of girls,” Bergmann said. “They always put the team first. They worked hard every day and truly played unselfish field hockey. My eighth graders did a great job leading in practice and my seventh graders did a fantastic job picking up the sport quickly. We played some tough teams this year and we did a great job dominating most of the game; constantly attacking to score. Each player contributed greatly to each game by never giving up. I am so proud to coach such a wonderful group of girls.”
Looking ahead to next fall, Bergmann is optimistic. “We have 11 returnees with outstanding skills and great experience under their belt,” the coach said. “I know they will be great leaders for our incoming seventh graders.”