Covenant’s field hockey team has been putting in the work, and with a short bench, the defending VISAA Division II champions are going to need their legs, especially on a scorcher like Tuesday.
“Thankfully we’ve had two weeks of practice and the girls have been running pretty hard and working,” said Covenant coach Annie Gumbs. “With small numbers, the girls are just doing a great job of keeping each other motivated.”
The Eagles looked ready to roll in the season opener, beating Charlottesville 8-1 in an efficient team effort. Covenant senior Lizzy Shim, a UVa commit, got the Eagles going with two straight goals to open the game and finished with a hat trick and two assists. Shim, the reigning VISAA D2 and Scrimmage Play POTY puts the pressure on any opposing defense, but she was a particularly stout test for a Charlottesville team replacing a lot along the backline.
“We still have our core from last year but we are extremely young on defense and at keeper, this is only her second game ever,” said Charlottesville coach Lindsay Clark. “We have two of them actually and they did great, they’re going to get there. We just need a couple of games under our belt.”
Lena Keesecker had the Black Knights lone goal, coming in the second half. The core of returners for the Black Knights includes midfielders Ashlyn Cherrix and Millicent Schlegel, key returners who give CHS a foundation to build around. Still, with a lot of new faces, that means the Black Knights have to pick up things and learn from each situation.
“I really wanted them to just go out there and compete,” Clark said. “In the second half, I told them they’ve just got to want it, we can’t give up because we’re in a learning stage right now and they did that in the second half.”
Covenant, meanwhile, found a groove early and mashed the pedal to the floor. Ashley Ballard also notched a hat trick for the Eagles while Teagan Murrie and Wynston Archer had a goal each, with Murrie and Ivy Allen adding in assists. Eighth grade keeper Pauline Gineste notched a pair of saves in the win in her first game in the cage. The Eagles’ short bench is helping mold the team together as they start their state title defense.
“They all have purpose, they all know they’re a really crucial part of the team, so knowing that has been a big help,” Gumbs said. “They’re really unifying.”
The victory also marked the first official high school game together for Shim and her sister, Abi Shim, an eighth grader who played well in the midfield for the Eagles.
The Black Knights get a break for a week before hosting E.C. Glass Tuesday while the Eagles play Western Albemarle next Thursday.
