As Emma Wasserman ’16 stepped on to the field for the first time since sophomore year to play field hockey, she was nervous. She had not played for two years, and was trying to keep up with the fast pace of the varsity team, yet her teammates were still grateful and excited to have such a pivotal member of their team return.
The forward was the top scorer on the team for both her freshman and her sophomore years, but Wasserman decided to stop playing and manage the team instead at the beginning of junior year. As she returns, she is working on building up her endurance and remembering her stick skills.
“I missed being a part of a team playing the sport I loved,” Wasserman said.
Now, as she approaches her last Homecoming game, she is nervous about the heat and certain skills the squad needs to work on. Emotions run high for the senior, as she looks to extend her legacy on the field.
“I’m excited about playing [Glendora] again,” Wasserman said. “I’ve gotten a feel for how everyone on the team plays now, and I definitely think we have what it takes to beat them.”
This is out of the ordinary for the rest of the team as well. The game against Glendora on Oct. 24 will be the squad’s last regular season game before the playoffs. Head coach Erin Creznic said that the addition of a crowd won’t feel pressuring for the team, but will help them with the drive they need to play their very best.
The last time the squad played Glendora Sept. 29, they lost in overtime. According to Creznic, the girls held the lead throughout most of the game, but couldn’t maintain it.
On Senior Day, the team will be playing Bonita, who they lost to 2-0 last time they played Oct. 6 because of the same issue. They played well for most of the game, but there was a period of about five minutes where they let their guards down and couldn’t come back from it.
“As a team, we’re practicing a lot and making sure we’re all communicating and on the same page when on the field,” Wasserman said.
In practices, the team has been working on both offensive and defensive drills. This is not only to prepare for the Homecoming game, but to prepare for if they go deep into the playoffs. The two main problems Creznic focuses on in practices are tipping and being outnumbered. Tipping is making sure the ball gets inside the goal from a close angle. The most common outnumbering situation is a when there are more opposing offenders than defenders on the field. She had noticed this tends to happen a lot to the team.
“I think they’re going to be fired up, and I think we will be ready,” Creznic said.
