Hollister field hockey shines again

After a spell of growth since its founding in 2015, the Hollister field hockey program has ascended to the heights—four straight solid years and four years of reaching the Central Coast Section playoffs. 

The Balers’ record in that span is 42-18-4 in a competitive sport, often ruled by private schools in the Bay Area, Gilroy powerhouses and a few others. In league play, Hollister is 25-1-3 over the last three seasons. With 35 teams competing in the CCS, the Balers’ win-loss record and playoff streak mark them as one of the elite.

“We play with a lot of heart,” said first-year head coach Kourtney Carmichael, who was an assistant the previous two seasons. “It’s communication between the girls. We have 20 seniors. Our passes are perfect this year. And we have strong midfielders.”

In 2024 against a challenging schedule, Hollister was 10-5-2. Carmichael said the team started a bit slow this year. But after that early 0-3-1 spell, the Balers closed the regular season 10-1-1, scoring 51 goals while yielding just seven. That run gave them second place in the Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division, after two seasons in first place.

The hot streak included 5-0 and 2-0 wins over Carmel, 5-1 and 10-2 victories against Monterey, a 1-1 tie with Stevenson, a 4-0 triumph against Santa Catalina, a pair of 5-0 victories against Greenfield, and 5-0 and 7-0 blitzes of Salinas. The only defeat came by a 2-0 count against Willow Glen, a team that is currently in the CCS playoff semifinals.

Pacific Coast Athletic League, Gabilan Division awards went to six Hollister student athletes. First-team honors were bestowed upon Jaylee Chan, Layla Borges and Kendra Lema. Borges picked up the additional commendation of league “Defensive player of the year.”

Second-team recognition went to Sydney Stacy, Lillian Mendosa and Olivia Picha. A league sportsmanship award went to Olivia Damm. Carmichael reflected on some of her top players.

“Jaylee (Chan) doesn’t give up; she’s consistent and gets great cuts and steals,” Carmichael said. “Morgan Ortiz is a great defender. Sydney Stacy is a super strong player, and Kyla Hignel is fast and can quickly take it upfield.”

Carmichael also pointed out superb contributions from many others on the Balers’ roster. Up front one would usually find Chan, Stacy, Picha and Hannah Vincent. In the middle or also up front, the team featured Lema, Mendosa, Teegan Castillo-Rice and Emma Diaz. 

In the back, the Balers saw Borges and Natalia Rivera leading the way, with Madalyne Rodriguez and Jasmine Guzman adding to the back wall, with Olivia Harris in goal.

Highlights were many in the 2024 season. Top of the list might be routing rival Salinas twice, including a 7-0 victory on the road Oct. 28. Lema shined that afternoon, scoring three goals. 

Sweeping the Carmel Padres was a big accomplishment and fighting fellow playoff participant Stevenson to a 1-1 tie was big. 

Other great performances included two Diaz goals in the 4-0 win over Santa Catalina on Oct. 29, with Chan and Picha also notching tallies. Stacy also accomplished a two-goal afternoon, scoring twice in the 5-0 win over Carmel.

According to Carmichael, one of the team’s best performances came against a visiting Canadian team from Shawnigan Lake of Vancouver Island. On Oct. 10 over at Stevenson, the Balers won 2-1.

The CCS holds just one playoff bracket and Hollister competed in that again. At home on Nov. 6, they fell to powerhouse Christopher. In the contest, the Balers battled quite evenly for nearly all the first half before the Cougars pulled away.

Stacy had several strong runs for the Balers. Chan was dangerous around the net and Picha aided the attack. 

“In the first quarter, Hollister really put some pressure on us,” Christopher coach Dani Perez said.

Christopher countered. The Cougars broke through on the scoreboard as their star forward Ella Miura fired a high 15-yard rocket into the net at 9:41 of the second quarter. Just before halftime, Christopher landed a big blow by scoring off a corner for a 2-0 lead.

Long passes between Balers connected at times but the stout Christopher defense kept Hollister under control. Chan, Stacy, Hignel and Mendosa led the attack to get Hollister back in the contest after halftime. Just before the end of the third quarter, the Cougars scored again and, with a fourth-quarter tally, they prevailed 4-0 and moved on in the playoffs.

A tough defeat to a talented squad, as the Balers gathered for hugs and some joyous tears. Another season had ended, but it was another successful year for Hollister.