The Pirates field hockey team has enjoyed a successful 2015 due in large part to the team’s intensity. Cinnaminson is now 7-2-2 following a 6-0 drubbing of Maple Shade on Wednesday afternoon.
“We’ve been trying to keep the intensity at our highest level at all times,” head coach Gina Quaranta said. “As soon as they step foot on the field, practice or game, we expect the highest level of intensity from them at all times, no matter what team we are playing. If we go up by a couple goals, they’re told not to drop that level of intensity.”
The Pirates have not let adversity get the best of them this year, having yet to lose two games in a row. In fact, the Pirates have responded incredibly well following a loss.
“It’s a lot of help,” Nicole Teague said. “If you lose a game, you’ve got to shake it off and get back out there. Our whole theme of the season is intensity. You gotta come out hard and strong. It pays off. Every game’s a new game.”
After their first loss of the year, 3-0 to Delran, the Pirates went out and defeated Maple Shade 4-2. Then, after a 2-0 loss to Holy Cross, the Pirates turned away Medford Tech with a 6-1 victory.
“Our girls are really focused on trying to improve their own games this year, as well as the game and the team chemistry,” Quaranta said. “They’re really holding each other accountable and doing their own jobs.”
The 6-0 win on Wednesday marked the second straight game in which the Pirates scored at least six goals and marks their highest goal output of the season.
“I think we all work really well together on offense,” Teague said. “We know how to adjust and move when we need to and work the defense.”
Cinnaminson struck early in this contest with the Wildcats, just four minutes in, when Serafina Kennedy scored her first of three goals on the day.
The game stayed 1-0 in favor of the Pirates until there was 17:30 to go in the first half when Maura Tumelty gave Cinnaminson a 2-0 lead.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, Kennedy picked up her second goal, moving the lead to 3-0. Then, 58 seconds later, Teague got on the scoreboard to give Cinnaminson a 4-0 lead, which they would hold at the break.
Second-half goals were scored by Kennedy, her third, and Tumelty, her second. Today’s hat trick is her second of the season, with both coming against Maple Shade.
As you can tell by the score, this game was dominated from start to finish by the Pirates offense, which means the Pirates defense did not have to do much in way of protecting the goal today.
“It is tougher if the defense is not getting as many touches on the ball in these kinds of games, but I think it helps their confidence level,” Quaranta said. “We will make sure in practice that they will get as much intense movement of the ball towards our goal.”
Field hockey returns to action on Thursday, October 9 at 3:45pm with an away game against New Egypt. Cinnaminson tied New Egypt 1-1 on September 22.
“Our next point forward is going to be not dropping our intensity,” Quaranta said. “Being able to do that against a team that, last time around, we tied them, is going to be critical. One goal could have been a win there last time and might be the case in this next game.”
