In the second half of a highly contested game, it was Jenna Graf and Sheridan Messier playing the role of heroes as they lifted their Shenendehowa varsity field hockey team to victory on Monday afternoon against Saratoga 2-1.
Heading into the final 11 minutes of the afternoon, Shenendehowa had a crucial corner insert with the game tied 1-1. Kelli Russo put the ball in play on a pass to Graf. She hit a rocket back at the goal and got it past Saratoga goalie Renee Banagan to give Shen the lead, which was eventually the game winner with 10:49 remaining.
“It really comes down to the insert. It was a perfect insert, on this grass it can be bouncy, and it just connected. We were really working well as a team,” Graf said.
Shen, however, had to hold off Saratoga. Just over two minutes after the goal, Saratoga’s Lindsey Frank ran the ball all the way up the field and got it very close to the goal. That was when Shen goalie Messier stopped the shot with a defender to keep Shen’s lead alive and eventually hold on for the win.
“I went up because I thought there was someone back and after Bridget (Shanahan) got beat I knew she was going to come back so I figured I’d go up, channel her, break down my steps and kind of try to delay some time,” Messier said. “A lot of it is layered.”
Shen had taken the first lead of the day just over seven minutes into the game when Eliza Branch scored an unassisted goal to give them a 1-0 lead. With seven minutes remaining in the first half, Saratoga’s Erin McCarthy scored on a pass from Sara Phillips to tie the game up at one and that’s how it went into the break. This prompted adjustments on the Shenendehowa side to keep their undefeated season going.
“We actually used a cherry-picker in the second half, because we realized we can get through their backs, and that’s what we did,” Shenendehowa head coach Jeanne Frevola said. “That was the change in the offense in the transition. It opened everything up.”
Despite her team’s first loss of the year, Saratoga head coach Jo-Anne Hostig was pleased with her team. “It was nice to see what we can do when teams spread out, and this was the first game where it was more spread out, so it was a nicer whole game overall to be able to evaluate and figure out what your weaknesses are.”
With the victory, Shenendehowa improves to 6-0 and currently stands at 16th in the nation. They will play again on Friday, taking on Shaker at home. That game will begin at 4:15 p.m.
Saratoga is now 6-1 on the year as they lose for the first time this season. They will also be back in action on Friday, facing Guilderland at home with a start time of 4 p.m.
