It’s a New Game For Brewster Field Hockey

’s field hockey team is concentrating on two very important aspects of the game in its quest for success this season.

Both components involve adjustments — one quite literally, as the girls adapt to the , while the other is somewhat less tangible: communication.

The team is happy to be playing on the brand-new field for home games, but with the change in scenery comes a new style of play, according to third-year Bears coach Shannon Riley.

“This is our first year on a turf field, where the game is faster, so we are trying to get them to play that level of athleticism, which the turf field demands,” Riley said. “That has been my goal for this year.”

Looking to help the Bears achieve that goal is a talented group of both new and returning players. Riley said that veteran forward Kelly Burns, a senior at BHS, is the type of player she can “count on” because she is “very intuitive,” and said that senior forward Jessie Turrin is also super reliable on the field.

“When Jessie puts her mind to something, she goes out and she produces,” Riley said. “If she tells me that she is going to do something for me, that is exactly what she goes out there and does.”

Senior forward Michaela Spannaus is another key player Riley looks to for a variety of tasks.

“She is very physical,” Riley said. “She puts every effort into every single game no matter what the score is. She plays as if we are down and if it’s the last five seconds.”

Spannaus also sets a great example as one of the team leaders, according to her coach.

“She understands the game,” Riley said. “She communicates well. What she expects from her teammates is what I expect from them as well.”

Spannaus told Patch that communication — specifically knowing where the other Bears are on the field — will go a long way in deciding how successful the team will be this season.

“Once you figure those all out, you can always work on corners or you can always work on good hitting at practice,” she said. “Communication and knowing one another takes a long time.”

She, Burns and Turrin have played together for years, so Spannaus is confident in the “strong forward line” the three make up.

On the defensive end, senior Jen Lopez-Ramirez is a great fit for her position in goal.

“She has command of the field," Riley said. "She is very observant. She also has a great set of lungs where she can let the girls know what is going on around them, what they might not be able to see because they are too involved in the play. That’s what I like about her in goal.”

Forward Ariana Braia and midfielders Jen Vigliotti and Kelly Chadnick, all juniors, are newcomers to the varsity team — but Riley is relying on them just as heavily as she is on veteran players.

“I expect them to be my integrators,” Riley said. “They have a good relationship with my returning players as well as the new players coming up … they have that ability to help put the two styles together.”

Brewster, 5-9-4 a year ago, is 0-1-1 after a 5-0 loss to visiting Ketcham (1-1) on Thursday. Lopez-Ramirez made 11 saves in goal for the Bears.

The Bears tied their first game of the season with Arlington 1-1. Their next game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Pawling High School.