Hastings Field Hockey Preview: Jackets to Harness Momentum from Last Season's Success

Coach Bob McCann is careful about maintaining realist expectations, which will help smooth the rebuilding process for Hastings' 2010 Girls Varsity Field Hockey team.

McCann knows, realistically, that the loss of many talented seniors creates a gap for the Hastings girls varsity  team--but training underclassmen to fill their shoes is a challenge he's excited to take.   

According to McCann, 2010's senior players were akin to self-coaches, but now he realize he'll have to step up his game to get his girls ready for the season.

They were essentially a "field hockey clique,"McCann said about last year's seniors, adding that they were most talented class since their sophomore seasons.

The biggest loss from last season is recently-graduated Kelsey DeCoursey, an All-Section selection who played center-defense.

Another player the Jackets will miss is Dana Borrelli, who was also claimed by the 2010 graduation.    

The Yellow Jackets will rely heavily on newly-minted starter and first -year goalkeeper Kristen DeSouza.

DeSouza, a transfer via the varsity volleyball team, was actually recruited by McCann the past year.

"Believe it or not, I noticed her in gym class when we played hockey," said McCann, now in his ninth year as a physical education teacher at Hastings.

"The kids in that class would take shots that were pretty darn close, and she stoned a number of shots on goal. She has very good angles; she's great at reading the play, and she knows where the girls are on the field at all times. Based on the way she's performed this pre-season, it really seems as if she's been here all along."    

While McCann reeled in DeSouza, he will also rely on more experienced players for Hastings' defensive game.

The Jackets will look to a trio of defensive powerhouses in junior Brittany Pachecho, senior Tori Singer, and junior Naomi Feliz. All three form a solid triumvirate because all three are aggressive, formidable on the field and play both instinctive and physical games. McCann hopes to have a four-person rotation established.    

Offensively, the Jackets will be led by Charlotte Allen and Maya Neria, an academic all-american who deposited her fair share of goals last season.

Both players control the tempo, dictate the flow of the game, and direct where the ball is going.

Hastings' hockey program has been growing, growing, growing, "Jack And The Beanstalk"-style, since there was just a J.V. team. Hastings did not have the luxury of a feeder program, though they did have a steady increase in interest from the student body.

Since then, the team has won a league championship in 2003 and garnered more respect throughout the section.

McCann has had as much to do with the field hockey evolution in Hastings as anyone, having put much stock into the sport and helping to establish it as a year-round commitment. From running early-morning practices to getting the girls into Westchester-area leagues during the off-season, McCann has established a competitive field hockey culture at HHS.  

When McCann first coached the program, his girls were still absorbing the intricacies of the game. He even went without a playbook.

His strategy has been based on teamwork, assuring every player is included in the game. His system also encourages crisp ball movements, positioning, and playing a strong defensive game.

Although no player will really cushion the loss of the DeCoursey, senior center-mid Emma Gentile is showing promise.

 McCann believes Gentile has all the essential attributes to anchor the defensive unit and emerge as a surefire leader on and off the field.  

"It's going to be tough to improve on what we've accomplished the last three years," said McCann.  "I mean that senior crew, they were really the faces of the organization when you think about it. Their loss presents a huge gap."

But McCan does believe his underclassmen learned from their leaders and will forge ahead using those skills.

"The younger girls are trying to take what they learned from those players and translate it onto the field," he said. "The most important thing is their dedication and the way they communicate on the field--and that's looking solid right now."