By Seth Goldman
In the initial league game of their season, the field hockey team plays today at home against Bonita.
The team heads into the game with a 4-1 record, having outscored its opponents by an aggregate margin of 15-3.
Its only defeat came on the road at the hands of perennial regional powerhouse squad Newport Harbor.
The teamâs strong defense has resulted in shutouts in three of its first five games.
The players also believe that its improvement in team unity and teamwork have been a major factor in the early success of the team.
Strong passing has led to easier scoring opportunities and more goals.
Last season, they were plagued by slow starts that left them needing great second halves to win games.
But this year the players have been able to start quickly and score more effectively in the early stages of the game, putting less pressure on the team to come from behind and win the game in the second half.
“Our strength so far has been our strong group of seniors and juniors,” Coach Erin Creznic said. “Our biggest improvement has been our scoring. Weâre converting a lot of our chances in the opponentsâ circle.”
The strong start has validated the teamâs early season confidence, Creznic said, and kept their goal of winning the league title as well as going to playoffs well within reach.
Creznic is sticking to her pre-season belief that the team should be able to win the title this year and advance deep into the playoffs.
Despite the strong start, the players know that they must avoid becoming complacent, and can still improve as the season goes on. Creznic agrees with this sentiment.
“Weâve been focusing so much on our offense, we just need to make sure our defense stays strong. We just need to stay aggressive in the opponentâs end and translate that over to defense.”
