By Saumya Sawant
The last warm days of autumn fall behind us as the White Plains Varsity Field Hockey Team prepares to make the transition into Sectional Playoffs. With Coaches Amanda Grant and Geri Miele, Captains Joely O’Rourke and Sophia Emmert, the team is already hard at work practicing for their first game against John Jay East-Fishkill.
The Tigers, with a record of 8 wins, 8 losses and zero ties, is capitalizing on scoring hard and fast within the first minutes of the game. This will give them a sizable advantage in the later 30 minutes of the game, especially the infamous 3rd quarter, typically referred to as the turning point of a game. It is during the 3rd quarter that teams often gain or lose advantages. Tired and with one more quarter left to play, toughing out the 3rd quarter is no easy task.
In previous games, the Tigers have lost the 3rd quarter advantage to teams like Mamaroneck (currently ranked #2 in the League) and Suffern (losing 3-2). Meanwhile, they’ve won the 3rd quarter advantage against teams such as Scarsdale (shutting them out the entire second half of the game during the Somers High School Tournament), Croton (scoring one time in the 3rd quarter of the game to bring the final winning score to 2-1) and Bronxville (maintaining a 3-1 lead up until the 4th quarter).
“We have improved on a lot of things since the beginning of the season,” says Coach Grant. “Our strengths are interceptions and passing. What we will need to win Saturday is better receptions, dodges around the defense and moving the goalie to score. If we make those changes along with having more endurance the entire game, we will win.”
Winning this game means that the Tigers will face off against the Scarsdale Raiders, currently ranked the Number 1 Team in the League alongside the Lakeland Hornets. Quarterfinals will be taking place on Tuesday, October 26th. Stay tuned for more updates.