Girl’s Field Hockey stepped on Lazier for their first match of the season on Monday night. Unfortunately, the team faced a challenging start to their season going against the top-ranked New Trier. The Kits struggled to hold back the strong New Trier offense, ending the game with a 5-0 loss.
After losing eight seniors from last season, Evanston is working on rebuilding a new team. Freshmen Melia Seyfreth and Evie Holstine as well as sophomores Sofia Jenio and Kate Mackey made their debut Monday night with excellent performances. Their contributions helped hold off the Trevians defensively.
New Trier made a strong start by immediately driving toward Evanston’s defensive third. They quickly achieved an early corner and got a shot off that senior captain and goalkeeper Bridget Lesch saved. Unfortunately, that corner led to a scramble in front of the goal that resulted in a point for New Trier just three minutes into the match.
“The team did really well defensively on their corners. I think we only let two in. They also did well keeping composed after we were scored on in the first three minutes,” Bridget Lesch stated. “The game was all defense. I think we did well not letting them get a ton of shots off.”
Following the quick goal from the Trevians, Evanston struggled to recover offensively. New Trier’s relentless pressure on the defensive line led to multiple corners. Evanston defenders and Bridget Lesch held them off with strong man-to-man marking but the Trevians still managed to secure a lead of 2-0 at the end of the first quarter both goals scored by New Trier junior Lilly Cimaroli. Despite minimal offensive opportunities on Evanstons part, the Kits were able to hold them off defensively until the end of the half.
“Due to the heat our strategies changed, so we tried to use a lot of different people and keep fresh legs out there. We also tried to challenge [Cimaroli] after she had those two quick goals by marking her tighter and not letting her get a shot, which I do think we were able to hold our own,” head coach Annie Lesch said.
In the second half, Evanston continued to struggle with the ball offensively. A couple of failed drives up the sideline led to unfortunate turnovers to New Trier. Bridget Lesch continued to save many Trevian attempts but let in one goal in the third quarter and two more quickly in the fourth quarter, ending the game with New Trier securing a 5-0 victory.
“I was really proud of our effort overall. I think defensively we just never got a break, so they did a really good job holding them defensively. I would’ve liked us to get a corner but for our first game against such a talented team, we did really well,” Annie Lesch commented.
Looking ahead to their next game the team hopes to improve their offensive approach.
“I’m so proud of our new team. I think we played together, the new girls really stepped up and I’m proud of everyone who came off the bench and went in,” Bridget Lesch said.
Evanston will seek a win in their next game away against Frances Parker on Thursday, Sep. 5 at 4:30 pm.
