One late goal out of the blue enough for Guilderland’s first win
The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael
Reaching out to defend a hit by Shaker’s Caroline DiBrien is Guilderland’s Emily Gersowitz, right, during last Friday’s field hockey game in Latham. The Dutch won, 1 to 0; it was the team’s first victory of the season.
The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael
Making a run towards the field hockey ball, at bottom left, is Guilderland’s Michelle Burmistrova, who scored the Dutch’s winning goal against Shaker last Friday with only a few minutes remaining in regulation play. Burmistrova scored the only goal of the contest.
The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael
Crossed sticks: The Guilderland field hockey team won its first game of the season last Friday by beating Shaker, 1 to 0, on the road. Here, Guilderland’s Emily Gersowitz, left, battles for possession with Shaker’s Kay Leigh Papa.
The Enterprise — Jordan J. Michael
Organized chaos: Shaker had more than a few chances to score against Guilderland in the second half of last Friday’s field hockey game, but couldn’t get a goal as the Dutch won, 1 to 0. Here, players from both teams crowd Guilderland’s net as the ball, at left, rolls out of bounds.
LATHAM — Spending most of the second half caught in its defensive zone, warding off Shaker’s effort to score a goal, the Guilderland field hockey team had one opportunity for triumph, and it did not miss.
The chance came off of a penalty corner — that’s where five defending players (including the goalie) stand on the back line either in the goal or within five meters of the goal post while an attacker hits the ball from the back line into the shooting circle (the other attackers are lined up at the top of the circle).
With 3:52 left in regulation play last Friday, Haylee Hoffman struck the ball for Guilderland into a congregation of players in front of Shaker’s goal. Michelle Burmistrova was able to get a shot off for the Dutch.
The bright orange ball rolled into Shaker’s goal and Guilderland couldn’t contain its excitement.
“We were pumped up, ready to get it in, and, right from the start, drove it in,” Burmistrova said of her goal that won the game, 1 to 0, for Guilderland. “The ball came through and BOOM, it just happened.”
It was the first win of the season for the Dutch (1-6). Head Coach Danielle Blanchard told The Enterprise that Guilderland has been working really hard for that initial win; previous games had been relatively close.
“Our intensity level caught up with the sense of urgency of needing a win,” said Blanchard. “We’ve been working hard on being in the right place in the [shooting] circle, and she [Burmistrova] was in the right place with her feet turned in the right direction. We’ve been practicing, watching film, and talking about this all week, so she definitely implemented that today.”
During a field hockey game, the referee’s whistle blows frequently, and last Friday was no different. Most of the time, a foul will result in a free hit for the opposing team for such infractions as a player’s foot touching the ball, bodily obstruction, blocking a defender’s path to the ball, or a “dangerous” high ball.
Burmistrova loves field hockey, but said that all the whistles do annoy her. “I get so into the game that I want to push people around — obviously, that’s illegal,” she said. “Shaker was very aggressive; we had to step up to the occasion, and we did a good job.”
Guilderland’s idea of being aggressive is being first to the ball, Blanchard said.
Despite all the whistles, free hits happen quickly; momentum is almost always a force. Possession was going back and forth between Guilderland and Shaker so much that last Friday’s game seemed like pinball on grass with sticks.
“Field hockey is a sports-specific skilled sport,” said Blanchard. “You have to have all the fundamentals to accelerate down the field, and our whole momentum in the second half was sparked by fast breaks and receiving skills.”
Shaker had a bunch of scoring chances in the second half, including five penalty corners in a row after Guilderland was down a player for five minutes due to Zoe Elwell’s yellow card 20 seconds into the half; referees give yellow cards to players who commit repeated offenses. Katherine Stasior made a run towards the goal, beating Dutch defender Katie Kelly, and passing to Emma Laberge, but Laberge couldn’t control the ball as it rolled past the back line. Also, the Blue Bison had a goal disallowed because a “high ball” was called.
Guilderland had one penalty corner and one goal in the second half, and plenty of time spent playing defense. After Burmistrova scored, Shaker put more pressure on Guilderland’s goal, getting two penalty corners in the final minute of regulation play, but the Dutch defense wouldn’t give in.
Burmistrova said that Shaker’s last-ditch effort for a goal was “a little scary,” she concluded, “We have a strong defense; we can trust them with everything.”
For Guilderland to win a game, Blanchard said, it was just a matter of playing cohesively for an entire 60 minutes. The Dutch no longer feel the pressure of getting that first win of the season; winning could come more easily as Guilderland starts seeing Suburban Council opponents for the second time.
Blanchard said that her players were starting to get frustrated because their hard effort wasn’t producing victories.
“There’s only so much you can practice before it starts to become a downer,” Blanchard concluded. “One win is contagious. We know what we’re capable of, and we’re definitely building off of that.”