LYNN — St. Mary’s field hockey team (2-0) jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and kept its foot on the gas en route to a 6-0 win against Peabody (0-2) at Manning Field Thursday.
Alyssa Norden led the offense with a hat-trick, while Camdyn Driscoll scored a goal and notched one assist. Addie Markiewicz (goal), Keira Twomey (goal) and Tenley Driscoll (assist) contributed one point each. Hannah Bator (save) picked up the shutout in net.
Coach Victoria Ault said she was pleased with the way her Spartans got off to a fast start.
“I told the girls that they had to stay hungry the whole game,” Ault said. “Make sure they come out with energy and intensity all season. In the past, we’ve either been a team that doesn’t show up in the first quarter until the third when we are on the back burner. I’m just trying to get them to understand they have to put it together the whole four quarters – no matter who the opponent is – and I think they did that today.”
Peabody coach Jillian Tobin said that while she was disappointed with the score, she saw some things to be positive about.
“We’re so young and don’t have a lot of experience, so we are still learning,” she said. “As we go, we’re looking for smaller victories. We are concentrating on learning while we’re on the sideline and we’re all learning the small things. The big thing is we are learning how to be adaptable in games. It seems to be working as today was a lot better than our first game, so there are definitely good things to take away from today and I was proud of the way all of them kept their composure.”
The Spartans dominated the first quarter, with Peabody crossing midfield just once. The Tanners righted the ship in the second quarter and went into the half trailing 3-0.
Unfortunately for Peabody, the Spartans’ Norden found her scoring touch in the second half with two third-quarter goals and one more in the fourth to seal the win.
Peabody goalie Sophia Kassis was under pressure for much of the game, finishing with 15 saves. Twin sister Bella Kassis chipped in with a defensive save in the first half.
Tobin highlighted the play of senior Chris Troncoso, as well as captains Sophia Kassis, Karley O’Connor, and Elizabeth Moore.
“He’s (Troncoso) a fabulous player,” Tobin said. “The best thing about Chris is he’s a courteous player. He plays the game the way it should be played. He puts in the time and effort off the field. This is really his first year getting a lot of minutes, so I like what I see from him.
“You can’t have 15 saves without having a good game. Unfortunately, Karley’s shots were going a little high today and Elizabeth showed that she’s adaptable, having popped into different positions today.”
Ault highlighted the play of Norden, Camdyn Driscoll, Ava Korisianos, and Keira Twomey.
“Her (Norden) shot selection is amazing,” Ault said. “Camdyn is another one who is just pushing the offensive drive. Senior captain Ava Korisianos also played well at midfield. She’s always amazing and is a leader on the field. And I really have to give a shoutout to outside midfielder Keira Twomey. She can play the whole game without a single sub. She dominates not only defensively, but she is also a big part of our offensive drive.”
St. Mary’s returns Saturday on the road against Monomoy.
“Traditionally, they are always a strong team, so it will be a nice little road trip for us. It will set us up nicely as we head into conference play,” Ault said.
The Tanners are back in action Tuesday against Marblehead at home (4 p.m.).
“I know nothing about them as they are a whole new team with a new coach again,” Tobin said. “Hopefully, we’ll go into it with open eyes.”
