Field Hockey Continues Rolling Towards Postseason

Cruising to a 5-0 victory over Melrose on Thursday, the Wilmington field hockey team played cohesively from start to finish. According to interim head coach Leanne Ebert, the tilt was a cliff notes version of the Wildcats season to date.

“They’re working well together as a team, and they get along well on and off the field. They really have gelled quickly,” said Ebert. “Every game I feel like they get more and more confident.”

The victory improved Wilmington to 8-3-3 in league action, while the Wildcats are 8-3-4 overall. The team is already qualified for the postseason, and looks to continue to improve its positioning in the final week of the regular season.

Emily Colosimo opened the scoring just 2:30 into the game on Thursday, while Nicole McIrney made it 2-0 about four minutes later. Rachel Alatalo notched a goal of her own as the frame wound down and the hosts took a 3-0 edge into the half.

Alatalo added her second score of the game early in the second half and Julia Carter sealed things out with a tally that made it 5-0 later in the frame.

“We started with high intensity in the first half,” said captain Megan Howland. “We worked really well together as a team today.”

Though Ebert is in her first year leading the Wildcats, she said her players quickly made her feel welcome as their new mentor.

Ebert said that while the Wildcats have eight seniors, they also were a bit inexperienced entering the campaign.

“They were a young team coming into the season, but they learned really quick to trust each other and work well together,” said Ebert. “As you can see, it’s worked for them.”

Howland said she and her Wildcat teammates have been successful in making a statement  this year.

“We were really happy to make it into states this year, proving to people that it’s not a rebuilding year and we are good enough,” she said. “Good things are going to come when we get into states, and we’re going to work hard when we get there.”