SECTION IV FIELD HOCKEY: NEWARK VALLEY CONTINUES TO BUILD (2018-08-27)  BY TIM TAYLOR Tioga County Sports Report NEWARK VALLEY - With nine returning players - only two of which are seniors - and five promising newcomers, Newark Valley continues to build in its quest to become a Section IV Division III contender. The nice thing for head coach Jessica Doehring is the fact that four of the Cardinals' six Division III All-Stars are among those back on the field this season. Cassidy Hoffmier and Elizabeth Ferguson were first-team picks in 2017, and Alison Wales and Marissa Berghorn made the second team.
Lauren Gwardyak and Sophia Nash are the returning seniors.
Berghorn, Hoffmier and Wales are juniors, and Ferguson is a freshman.
Also back are juniors Sarah Mertson, Emma Morgan and Savanna Seymour.
"We have been building as a program the last few years and I really think we hit a turning point at the end of the season last year," Doehring said. "I think if we are able to pick up where we left off, we will be in great shape. We have a young team but they are all strong, eager players. We are very excited to see what we can accomplish this year."
NV adds five newcomers this season, three of whom got a brief taste of the varsity experience last year.
"Phaedra Day, Chloe Yetter, and Allison Walker all made a couple varsity appearances last year, but this will be their first year on the roster," Doehring said. "Rachael Walker and Hannah Ferguson are making their varsity debut. Allison, a sophomore, and Rachael, a freshman, sisters, will be filling some big shoes on our defense this year. Hannah will be splitting time between midfield and the forward line. She has the speed and skill to quickly move the ball down the field for us. Phaedra is primarily a midfielder but has the ability to play anywhere on the field. Her stick skills and field sense help her to stand out on the field. Chloe plays forward for us; she is scrappy and aggressive on the forward line."
The Cardinals, who went 4-4 in the division and 4-12 overall last year, still have obstacles to overcome.
"I think our challenge this year will be our young defense," Doehring said. "We graduated two seniors last year. We have three returning juniors on our defensive line, including Alison Wales in goal, and our two new defenders are smart and eager. I think we got most of our first-game jitters out in our scrimmages last week.
"As for our strengths, we put in a lot of time offensively last season and it appears as though what we worked on has stuck so I think we're starting off the season in a good position."
NV will need to replace graduates Ashlee Marsh, a first-team All-Star, and Laura Durand, a second-team pick, as well as Sydney Dean and McKenzie Swansbrough.
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IN PHOTO 1: Newark Valley head coach Jessica Doehring.
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