LITCHFIELD — Forget the advantages in experience and recent success in the win column. The Oak Hill field hockey team still had sweaty palms going into the MVC season-opener against Mountain Valley, and it had nothing to do with 80-degree temperatures.
“I just really wanted to score and get the first goal and start off the game,” Kylee Veilleux said. “I feel we need to get the goal first just so we can set the standard.”
Score, Veilleux did. Twice, in fact — 70 seconds into the game, then just under six minutes later — to propel the Raiders past the Falcons, 8-1, Wednesday afternoon at Carrie Ricker School.
Thirteen players returned from a team that gave Yarmouth all it could handle in the Class C West playoffs. The Raiders experienced no significant losses to graduation.
Paired with senior-less Mountain Valley — and the Falcons start only three juniors — the Raiders could have raised the curtain on a new campaign with just a smidgen of self-assurance.
Coach Betsy Gilbert didn’t detect that all, though. Quite the opposite.
“The girls were very nervous, not knowing how the season is going to go or what to expect today. They came out strong, and we’re really proud of that,” Gilbert said. “We really don’t have any big guns. It’s just everybody. It’s a complete team. That’s what I am most thankful for this year is that everybody came here to play.”
Aside from the momentary lull between Veilleux’s goals, Oak Hill asserted its dominance throughout.
Hayley Marshall and Erika Hannigan each joined Veilleux as repeat scorers for the Raiders. Marshall and Veilleux combined for three assists.
Sadie Goulet and Abby Assselin both chipped in a goal.
“I’m glad that we won. We made some mistakes, but I think that we really came together and pulled it out,” Marshall said. “I definitely thought at the beginning that we came out a little flat. I think we were just getting back into the swing of things.”
Goulet set up Veilleux’s first tally off a penalty corner. Marshall’s pass furnished the second goal at 7:08.
Hannigan stuffed home a rebound less than a minute later, and the rout was on. Goulet made it 4-0 at the end of another successful corner, and Asselin added to the advantage after Mountain Valley goalie Kassie Thibodeau made two tough stops in quick succession.
“That’s what we talked about: Make the initial stop, then get kids back on defense to clear it,” Mountain Valley coach Melissa Forbes said. “It’s hard when you’re starting with what I think may be the best team. They’re a senior group.”
Chelsea Allison picked up the goal for the Falcons on a rebound 11 minutes in the second half. Marissa Crosby made the initial bid.
Crosby, Lexy Duguay and Alivia Lee led a Mountain Valley offense that started successfully stringing more passes together in the second half.
“We have to work on our defense. We try to work on scoring goals, and we scored a goal,” Forbes said. “Right now it’s about setting personal goals and still trying to figure out exactly who’s going to play where. Once we get it straightened out, it should be the same varsity team for the next two years, and that will be good.”
Thibodeau made 18 saves for the Falcons. Abby Fuller and Megan Labbe combined for six in the Oak Hill cage.
Marshall scored twice after intermission as the Raiders averted any letdown.
“We have so much depth. We’ve been playing together since we were this tall,” Marshall said, gesturing about waist-high. “We know each other so well, what we’re going to do.”
“We expect stuff from each other,” Veilleux added.
Sounds like the ideal recipe for managing nerves and high expectations.
koakes@sunjournal.com
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