Things didn’t go as planned for Albemarle’s field hockey team Tuesday, as the Patriots fell by mercy rule to Colonial Forge in Jen Martinelli’s debut as head coach.
Albemarle was feeling much better Thursday.
“A little more (momentum) would be an understatement,” Martinelli said. “We’re playing as a team instead of playing individually and that makes a big difference.”
The Patriots knocked in a pair of early goals in the first half and added another in the second to notch a 3-0 victory over Orange County Thursday evening.
The Patriots got goals out of Bailey Bush and Scarlet Foley early in the first half to take the 2-0 lead. From there, they played solid defense and managed, largely, to keep the ball in Orange’s defensive zone. The Hornets were adept at counter attacking, but struggled to put the ball past Kathlynn Lewis, who finished with six second half saves after going nearly untested in the opening frame.
With captain Paige Northup running the show on offense, Albemarle managed to create six first half short corners while Orange had to wait until the second half for any corner opportunities.
“(The captains) played excellent and because of that they started asking stuff of their teammates, they started moving people,” Martinelli said. “They got the team together.”
Late in the second half Julia Hartman broke through with a solid goal for the Patriots to essentially put the game out of reach for the Hornets. It was Hartman’s first varsity goal, coming in just her second game as a sophomore.
“It was the first time I’d scored so I was happy about that,” Hartman said.
Orange struggled to find a rhythm in the passing game, but put together a valiant defensive effort. Considering Albemarle’s time of possession advantage, the Hornets held the Patriots in check for long stretches.
“In spurts,” said Orange coach Tricia Grabeel. “We need to start putting the puzzle together a little bit better — we’re still fragmented and all over the place but we’ll get those kinks worked out.”
The Hornets got solid play out of Ana Reuss and Anna Bosworth, a pair of talented junior midfielders.
“(Reuss) is able to dictate pace of play, be able to change fields,” Grabeel said. “She works really well with Anna Bosworth on the other side.”
The Hornets fall to 2-0 while Albemarle evens its Commonwealth District record at 1-1.
