With a record of 14-5, the field hockey team has had one of their best seasons to date. Of course there are many factors contributing to the team’s success; one of which being their goal keeper.
Junior goal keeper Jade Tyler has had to stand and watch a lot during the matches. The Royals offense has kept the ball in the opponent’s end a lot this season. But that does not mean she is not ready every minute of the game.
“It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to be a great goalie. You can’t be afraid of the ball; you have to be fearless. You have to have love and passion to be good at what you do. You just gotta really love the sport,” Tyler said.
Her teammates are quick to show their support for both goalies and feel they are hard working and really good at what they do. The team together only allowed 16 goals the entire season.
“The goalie is the team’s last resort. If the ball gets past me then, that’s it, they score,” Tyler said. “I am the team’s last line of defense. I am our last hope”.
Even though it is quite clear that having a good goalie is crucial to winning the game, that is not all it takes to do well. Field hockey is a team sport and it takes good team defense to play and execute well.
“It is more important to have a strong defense so that our goalie doesn’t get overwhelmed or stressed. We don’t want to lose and have the goalie think it was her fault,” sophomore Haliegh Horne said.
Although having a good goalie is important, teamwork is what brings home the wins. Without the team working together as well as they do, the team would have not been as successful as they were this year. In team sports the most crucial element to success is having good chemistry, and that is a trait this team definitely has.
“Without strong defense the ball can breakaway and they can score. We really do have to work together, we depend on each other,” Tyler said.
In the future the team plans to keep their winning streak and win their tournament. They are also planning to work harder to maintain their high expectations. Junior Kendall Eaton is one of many players who will do her best to ensure the team plays well and together.
Winning does take a whole team. It does not matter how good the goalie is, without a really good connection between the players the team will suffer.
“Being a goalie is hard, and no doubt the single most important job on the field. Yes, having a good offense and defense is important, but without great goalies like the girls we have, none of it matters. To have a season as good as ours takes everyone to work together and do well, and we did just that,” Eaton said.
