Unbeaten Broadneck Field Hockey Sees Room For Improvement

After eight games, Broadneck’s field hockey team has won seven and tied one, scoring 37 goals and conceding just five.

Ho-hum, one might think. But so far, Broadneck’s unbeaten season has been anything but straightforward.

“If people just look at our schedule and our record, they’d think we’re rolling through the season, and we’re really not,” said Broadneck coach Shannon Hanratty. “The girls have really had to grind and work hard to get through some difficult games. There are some moments in each game, but we’re still trying to put it all together.

That grind has featured thrilling games, like a 3-3 draw against Archbishop Spalding on September 7, a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Crofton on September 10, and a 1-0 win over Severna Park on September 24. Very little has come easy for the Bruins, though: they peppered Crofton’s goal but didn’t find the breakthrough until late in the fourth quarter; it took a late penalty corner for the Bruins to beat Severna Park; Spalding is a test year-in, year-out.

“The patience and poise of this group has been great to see,” Hanratty said. “They know that if it’s not quite working, we just need to keep shooting, keep working, not get frustrated, and eventually it’s going to come.”

There were also big victories: 5-0 over Yorktown (Virginia) on September 7, 4-0 over Chesapeake on September 17, 9-0 over Southern on September 19, 7-1 over Long Reach on September 20, and 6-0 over Arundel on September 26.

The Bruins are still running their attack through the Division-I bound trio of Katelyn Kearns, Raleigh Kerst and Faith Everett. But they’re also doing it without two key defensive cogs and are fine-tuning exactly how the entire system needs to work.

So far, that has involved Kearns dropping deeper into midfield than in years past and picking up some added defensive work. While it’s new to her in field hockey, she played a defensive role on the Bruins’ state championship lacrosse team in the spring.

“I get to see a lot more of the field, which helps me see what’s going on and how best to help my teammates,” said Kearns, whose seven goals trails only Kerst (nine) for the team lead. “I still get to go forward and help offensively, and we have trust in each other that we’re going to do what’s needed.”

A solid defensive effort led by seniors Grace Figueroa and Clare Imber has helped the Bruins keep goalies Mia Moody and Trish Maloney clean; the duo has combined to post five shutouts in eight game this season, conceding just five goals in total.

Through eight games, Kerst and Kearns also have four assists apiece to lead the team. Everett has six goals and three assists; Abbie Morris has five goals, while Figueroa has three goals and three assists.

Though the county schedule may ease slightly, two tough out-of-conference games loom in early October ahead of the county playoffs: trips to Bryn Mawr on October 4 and Garrison Forest on October 9.

Hanratty is content with the schedule and the development, knowing that the right mix of growth opportunities and difficult games will put the Bruins in the best position to contend for hardware at the end of the season.

“We’re about halfway through the season, and I think we’re about 50% of where we want to be,” Hanratty said. “If you think about it that way then we’re right on schedule, because you want to be playing your best at the end of the season.”