Image source: Lori Donato

By Cassia Biederman

Managing Editor

This fall season, Hammond’s Field Hockey team is excited for what lies ahead.  After an 0-13 season last year, the team has already secured 3 wins this season out of their 9 total games.  With only a varsity team and a relatively small program full of new players, Hammond field hockey is focusing on improving their game all around.  

Junior Captain Abby Lee is optimistic about the season so far.  “We have made a lot of improvements since last year… we have won a few games, unlike last year and you can see the improvement on the field” she says. As goalie of the team, Abby works alongside co-captain Katie Lindenmann to inspire the team and lead them on the field.

Led by Coach Alexis Briscoe, the team intends to further improve throughout the season.  Coach Briscoe says “I have a lot of confidence in my team’s ability and hope that as we continue to grow, and learn, and develop, that these wins become more consistent.”  She emphasizes the importance of continuing to put in effort and energy as the season progresses.  

The Golden Bears were able to clutch an exciting win against Blake High School to kick off the season.  Junior Megan Call says “we went into overtime, then double over time, and then shoot outs, so it was very high energy.”  Since then, the team has also secured a win against Baltimore City College High School, and have their sights set on more.  Abby Lee intends to “improve even more with our basics and our teamwork and… experience playing field hockey.”  With an upcoming game against Oakland Mills, Hammond hopes to secure another win before the season is out.   

As a program with no Junior Varsity team and several players learning field hockey for the first time this season, Coach Briscoe says “preseason is a lot of developmental work and getting in shape to play field hockey, and then we continuously are learning new skills as the season progresses and addressing things that happen in games the following practice.”  She also hopes to build a JV team for next year so the focus of the varsity team can be less on new developmental skills and more on winning more games consistently.  

Players to keep an eye on include goalie Abby Lee, midfielder Katie Lindenmann, and sophomore offense player Riley Endres.  “Both Riley and Katie work really well together” Briscoe says while discussing impactful players.  She also highlights “Abby being not only a captain, but also the goalie, she is the leader and the voice on the field, and she’s constantly telling defense what to do, which is really important.”  Finally, she points out the promise of new freshmen who are expected to continue to improve throughout their high school career. 

Overall, the Hammond Field Hockey team is ready to use their momentum from the beginning of the year to close out the fall season.  As a close knit team, teamwork and resilience comes naturally to the group, and an exciting future lies ahead for the team.