Hard work pays off against Gabriel Richard
September 3, 2019
Players on the varsity and JV teams reflected the supportive and driven community of South field hockey at their respective games against Father Gabriel Richard on Wednesday, Aug. 28.
Varsity head coach Jessie Rouleau, who began coaching for South last year, started her first year as South’s head coach this season and is already receiving high praise from her players.
JV captains (from left to right) Betsy Oliver, Julia Gebeck and Mia Craparotta, all ‘22, meet with the referee to discuss logistics and tactics before their game begins. This season is all three captains’ second playing for South.
The JV team gathers as captains Betsy Oliver, Julia Gebeck, and Mia Craparotta, all ‘22, review tactics and give pep talks before the game begins. Both the varsity and JV field hockey teams have captains; those who hold the position have similar responsibilities across levels.
Olivia Frye ‘22 (right) runs to steal the ball from an opposing player and pass it to Alyse Applegate, also ‘22 (left). Applegate and Frye are two of the four sophomores on the varsity team.
Elise Charbonneau ‘22 waits in the goal for a chance to block shots during the first half of the JV game. This is Charbonneau’s second season on the team.
“My coach, who’s the most passionate and awesome person ever, is experimenting right now with me, so I’m back and forth between defense and mid,” Olivia Frye ’22 said.
Frye is one of four sophomores on the varsity team this year, along with Alyse Applegate, Katy Griffin and Kate Adams. At first she was nervous about being younger than other players, but she quickly got used to it and chalks up the easy transition to Rouleau’s influence.
“At first I was worried about fitting in with the upperclassmen, but they are all so supportive,” Frye said. “I think it comes down to having drive and determination. All four of us sophomores knew we wanted to play at this level and our mindset had a big impact on how we performed. And Coach is really big on that.”
It isn’t just varsity that boasts talented and determined players. The JV team also took Gabriel Richard at their game, with Meredith Tiderington ‘22 scoring half of the goals for the team’s 4-0 win.
“My favorite thing about being on the team is being able to have fun with my friends, on and off the field, while still being competitive,” Carion said.
Frye, although not on the same team as Carion, also feels that the best part of playing field hockey under Rouleau is the relationships players build.
“My favorite thing about being on the team is definitely the relationships I’ve made,” Frye said. “[The upperclassmen] are almost like bigger sisters to us sophomores.”
Rouleau is as happy to be coaching the girls and they are to learn from her and is looking forward to further experience with the teams.
“My proudest moment is working with such a great group of girls,” Rouleau said. “It’s a really good program. It seems like everybody wants to learn the sport, so it’s been really fun for me because I have the skills and the knowledge and background in field hockey that I can teach to a group of girls that seem so excited about it.”
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