The MVRHS field hockey team closed out the Cape and Islands League schedule with a thorough 5-0 win over the Sturgis East Storm, Tuesday in Oak Bluffs.
Five different players scored for the Vineyarders (11-2-1 overall, 6-1-1 C & I), who swarmed the Storm cage from start to finish. Amelia Simmons earned the shutout in the Vineyard net.
Mariah Donohue opened the scoring at 11:04 from Mackenzie Condon. Abby Marchand doubled the lead 3:30 later by snaking her way through three Storm defenders and ripping a shot into the bottom left corner. Allyse Guyther picked up an assist.
The Vineyarders put the game out of reach with three goals in the first 5:13 of the second half. Addy Hayman scored first from mid circle on a Skyla Harthcock feed and set up Hailey Meader for a chip-in 90 seconds later, following a corner. Megan Zeilinger capped off the win by converting a Christian Schmidt cross at the right post.
Vineyard Coach Lisa Knight used her roster to the fullest and was pleased with the results. “Everybody gets a lot of time, especially right before the tournament, everybody gets in and it gives the team good morale,” she said. “Different people scored today like the first goal was scored by Mariah Donahue and she’s a senior and I think that was one of her first goals.”
With the win over Sturgis East, the Vineyarders took an important step toward securing a higher seed and a coveted home playoff match in the upcoming state tournament. “This win gives us 23 points right now,” Coach Knight said. “We’re 11-2-1 and the 23 points will help us to try and get a home game, which is something that we want.”
The Vineyarders also wanted to catch Monomoy at the top of the Cape and Islands standings but had to settle for a 1-1 draw last Saturday in Harwich. Addy Hayman scored a second half equalizer to answer a Holly Evans tally for the Sharks.
Most frustrating for Coach Knight was the Vineyarders difficulty adapting to play on a turf field. As with Monomoy, the next two away games, Foxborough (Oct. 18) and Plymouth South (Oct. 22) are both on turf. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t pull it off on the turf, which is unfortunate, because we don’t have turf,” she said. “It’s such a disadvantage not to have turf and when we don’t practice on turf, you don’t perform as well as you can and these turf teams, they’re used to it and that’s what’s going to happen to us along the road. There’s not going to be any league championships and there’s not going to be any state championships, period.”
