Vernon field hockey on rise

By Josh Lashley
VERNON — In an ideal scenario, a team will perform to the best of their collective abilities in a game that is very meaningful. It doesn’t often happen in the sometimes harsh reality of athletics, but this season it did occur for the Vernon High School field hockey program.
“I think there are three games that stand out for us this season," Vernon coach Kieran Killeen said. “We had seven seniors this year [Mckenzie Alter, Brenna Del Bagno, Kaitlyn Gallaugher, Shannon Gambuti, Olivia Higgins, Erin Kenely and Brinna White] and our Senior Day was an all out affair. The girls all played with a great spark that game, beating Morris Hills 3-1 [on Oct. 8]. We were down 0-1 at Kittatinny at half time on their grass, being a turf team it always took us time to find our feet on grass. We came back strong in the second half with one of our freshman players, Hailey Minter, putting in the equalizer. Del Bagno, one of our captains, then scored the winner in the last two minutes.
“Our [North 1 Group 2 Sectional Tournament] game against Lakeland, also our final game, was a thrilling way to end the season. They were all over us in the first half but we managed to limited their shots on goal and keep it to 0-0 in the first half. They scored in the first 10 minutes of the second half. It took us 10 minutes to answer back and take the game into overtime. I felt like we were the better team in the seven versus seven over time, we had more scoring opportunities and controlled more of the ball. It was heartbreaking when they scored off a corner in double overtime. I was proud of the girls as they left everything out on the field and that’s all I asked of them."
The Vikings earned five total wins this year against top level competition and the success they achieved required a total team effort.
“All seven of my seniors did a great job in leading the program," Killeen said. “Brenna Del Bagno made First Team All-Conference, White and Alter made Second Team All-Conference.
“I was impressed with our freshmen in the program. We had four that saw varsity time and showed great potential for the future years. We had three sophomores who all showed great progress through 2016. Tori Waschek played wonderful hockey this year in defense and the midfield and was named Vernon Athlete Of The Week and received All-Conference Honorable Mention. Madelynn Leggour, left midfield, and Emma Cahill, backup goalie, both developed well this year and always played with a lot of passion."
Vernon looks to continue its upward momentum in 2017.
“When a new coach takes over a program, there is always an adjustment period that can be tough for the players," Killeen said. “It takes time for them to learn the new game plan and exactly what a coach is looking for. On the other side, the coach is also learning about the players’ strengths, weaknesses, what needs more focus and what they can pick up quickly.
“Having spent a season together now, we now have in place a strategy that has let us lay a strong foundation for the brand of hockey we want to play and set us up to strengthen as a program each year. I am excited that we will be able to hit the ground running next year. We have healthy numbers coming from our middle school program which is a vital part of growing a program into being successful. While our record this year doesn't turn heads, our goal was to win more games than last year. We did that and aim to do the same thing each year."