The field hockey team is dribbling their way through the season. They have great team chemistry and work hard to ensure they are all on the same page.
Jeff Merino-Ott, fourth year field hockey head coach at Sage Creek, emphasizes the importance of improving and sharpening their skills.
“It has been a fantastic experience, especially since most of our players are brand new to the sport when they join,” he said. “Seeing them develop a passion for the game, return year after year, and even recruit their friends is the most rewarding part of building this program.”
He has noticed much improvement of the players since the start of the season.
“I’ve been incredibly proud of the team’s development since our first practice. They’ve grown into much more of a cohesive unit,” he said.
Shea Stumpges, senior and ASB Co-President, highlights why she loves her team.
“One thing I love about my team is that I always find myself laughing so hard at practice and just having fun. Everyone is so funny,” Stumpges said.
Team captain Gillian Trifilo, a senior and third-year returning member on Varsity, loves how close her team is with each other and the support they show towards one another.
“I love our team! Both JV and Varsity, we are all really close together, we’re very unified and we all get along really well,” Trifilo said. “There’s no drama, and we’re very supportive of each other, everyone tries out different positions, and just encourages each other to keep going.”
Stumpges hopes to make it to CIF and win more league games. She makes sure to include everyone and builds team chemistry by making people laugh.
Trifilo hopes to make CIF as well, and was happy to see new members join this season.
“This season, I am hoping that we make it to CIF, it would be a great accomplishment all in itself. And if we move even farther in that, it would be amazing. It’s been really fun in general, we’ve had a lot of new girls this year, so that was a big goal of mine as well,” she said.
The coach has noticed spectacular performance by fourth year returning senior Audrey Welken. She is a great leader for her team and brings a phenomenal skill level to the field game after game.
“Her defensive work is phenomenal, and her vision and understanding of the game are truly next-level. More than that, she is a workhorse who leads by example,” he said.
Varsity has home games on Oct. 24 against RBV at 5 p.m. and Oct. 28 against Vista at 6 p.m. Show up to their games to support the Sage Creek Girls Field Hockey team!
