SECTION IV FIELD HOCKEY: SVEC NUMBERS LOW, BUT EAGLES RETURN SEVERAL PLAYERS (2024-08-26)
By TIM TAYLOR
Tioga County Sports Report
CANDOR/SPENCER — The Spencer-Van Etten/Candor field hockey team will be working with low numbers this season, currently at 11, but the Eagles do return several players from last year.
“We're going to have to be able to be flexible and play some different positioning to try to gain ourselves rest time during the game based on is it more of a defensive game, is it more of an offensive game,” coach Abby Gentile said.
“Luckily, I have some kids that have put in a lot of effort and will be conditioned and ready to go I think. The team as a whole, everybody's going to have to step up.”
After graduating seven players off last year’s team, SVEC has just three seniors this season.
One of them is goalie Kaitlyn Klym.
“She's been very strong for us in goal for years, so I feel very confident back there,” Gentile said.
The other two seniors are Lily Kunsman and Aubrey Catablan.
“She's been working really hard, playing year round, and plans to play in college,” Gentile said of Kunsman.
As for Catablan, “she just came back last year, but she did a fabulous job,” Gentile said.
“So we do have 3 senior leaders, but I think we're going to see maybe a little more leadership from our younger kids as well, that really want it and are willing to go out and go for it,” the coach added.
Off-season activities should be a plus for the Eagles as well.
“I would say every single girl on my team plays more than one sport, which I fully want them to,” Gentile said. “I would love every single person to be playing three sports for our schools because we're such small school districts, so that kind of stuff, I think, helps keep them going, keep them in shape.
“Unfortunately, in the fall, they do have that summer where there isn't anything school related, but over half my team is playing year-round hockey now. Most of them that do it are playing through the Southern Tier Storm club and so they've gained more hockey experience in the off-season, which I think should show on the field this fall.
“I said nobody can complain about playing time and who's starting, but I just think it's unfortunate because we have talent,” Gentile added. “We definitely have talent and skill and athleticism, and I think an eagerness, but we're going to come up short, probably, at the end of some games just from fatigue.
“The first game's going to be really hard, when there's no subs and you have to play the full game. And then, as the season rolls on, they're going to get more used to it and knowing when I can conserve a little energy, when I need to put forth more energy. That's going to be a learning experience for them.
Nien of the 11 players are returning from last year and the Eagles have two freshman varsity rookies.
“I can't be mad at that,” Gentile said of the situation. “Every girl that played last year that didn't graduate came back this year.
“You can't fault the kids for trying because they're working hard. “I look forward to a good season.”
Section IV has gone back to a three division format with SVEC in Division 3. There are 15 teams in the section so the Eagles will play each team once (Newark Valley twice) and will compete in Windsor’s InVANNAtational.
They open the season Sept. 4 at Maine-Endwell.
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR.
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