For folks who consider themselves among the wagering type, it’s a good bet to expect the Pinkerton Academy field hockey team to be one of the two teams in the Division I championship match each year. But after that, all bets are off.
The Lady Astros have played in the big game six of the last seven years, winning once (2012) during that span. The crews lost title matches in 2008, 2009, 2010, and each of the last two autumns as well.
After losing 11 seniors from a 2014 contingent that fell to the Winnacunnet High Lady Warriors of Hampton in the D-I title battle last autumn, coach Jen Resmini and her charges will have their hands full as they attempt to get back within striking distance of a state crown this season.
With stars like Kaylie DeCosmo and Amanda Szostak and Jordan Dudley having left the PA fold via graduation this past spring, the academy crew will have plenty of work to do in trying to remain a D-I power during the 2015 campaign, which the Lady Astros begin Thursday, Sept. 3, by playing host to Pinkerton graduate Ann MacLean’s Merrimack High Lady Tomahawks.
The only returning starters from the Lady Astros’ 15-2 team of 2014 are senior forwards Gabby Guerard and Samantha Day and senior goalie Abbey Doherty.
However, other battle-tested varsity returnees who will doubtless be asked to step into even bigger roles this season include seniors Kristin Crowell (forward), Kristina Santuccio (defense), Amanda Thomas (forward), and Elizabeth Tveter (forward), and juniors Abby Amato (midfield/forward), Delaney Conway (defense), Bailee Freeman (defense), and Madison Lolicata (forward).
The 2015 crew’s list of promising newcomers includes seniors Courtney DesRoches (middie), and Mackenzie Pierce (forward), juniors Emma Bennett (middie), Alyssa Greig (middie), and Emily Moser (defense), and sophomores Meaghan Michaud (forward), Carly Young (forward), and Rhiannon Palmeriello (goalie).
“For us to be successful as a team, we need to continue to improve our 1-versus-1 skills and the strength of our passes,” said Resmini. “We need to become comfortable and confident in our skills and continue to grow as a team, both offensively and defensively.”
