Wildcat Varsity Field Hockey Team Keeps Winning

The University School Varsity field hockey team maintained its undefeated record with a 10-0 victory over visiting Kettle Moraine Wednesday afternoon.

The reigning state champion Wildcats took command of the game early, scoring eight goals in the first half.

The ultimate winning goal was scored at 25:29.  Senior Maggie Schroeder took a shot from the top of the Lasers’ circle.  A defender got a touch on it, but USM senior Billie Fritz pulled the ball away and slid it in around Kettle Moraine’s starting goalie, Alyssa Pacala.

USM made it 2-0 less than two minutes later.  During a scramble in front of the Lasers’ net, USM senior Jenna Seter sent a pass across the goalmouth.  Fritz got it and popped it in at 23:38.

Fritz started the play for USM’s third goal.  She took a hard drive from the top of the Kettle Moraine D and senior Cassie Bence wrapped in the rebound at 22:39.

USM scored again at 16:23 on a beautiful play by senior Libby Aik.  Aik ran the ball into the KM circle.  Like a ballerina with fancy stick work, she danced around several defenders, and then drove the shot through the goalie’s legs.

The Wildcats’ fifth goal came at 10:33.  Senior Erika Hurth centered the ball to junior Michelle Bal who reached and flicked in a reverse stick shot.

Bal scored another goal exactly a minute later when she drove a hard strike into the net off a centering pass from Aik.

Bal got an assist on the Wildcats’ next goal when she crossed the ball to Fritz who gained a hat trick by blasting the ball into the goal at 8:19.

Seter scored again just 19 seconds later to give USM an 8-0 lead.

Given the Wildcat’s wide lead, USM’s head coach Tom Carter instructed his players to work on passing and position control in the second half.  He also gave players the chance to try different positions so they understood what other players experienced. The Wildcats followed his instructions.  They moved the ball around well adapted to new positions on the field and still scored two goals.

The first came at 14:21 when Schroeder knocked in a crossing pass from senior Georgia Hoagland.  Junior Meredith Jeffers, whose usually sets up goals with passes and skillful midfield play, scored the second goal by putting in a deflection off a shot by Lindsay Neitzel, who often plays midfield with the same style as Jeffers.

In the game Kettle Moraine’s goalies Pascala and Jessica Grubb, who substituted for the starter, made a total of 14 saves.  USM’s senior goalkeeper Margeaux Hagemann did not see much action, but she did make 1 save.

USM is now 4-0.  They travel to St. Louis to play in the prestigious Gateway Tournament over the long Labor Day weekend.  Once they return, they face the USM Varsity Reserve team on Tuesday, September 6th at 4:30 p.m.