All but one of the players on the San Benito High field hockey team had prior experience playing the sport before the season started. One would expect the Haybalers to go through some growing pains, but every time they take the field, progress is being made.
Even in a 3-1 non-league loss to visiting Robert Louis Stevenson of Pebble Beach on Sept. 22, not much separated the two squads. All four goals in the game came off rebounds, and it was simply a matter of the RLS players maneuvering a little better in space to fire off those second and third-chance opportunities.
“They were on the ball and quicker to the ball,” Balers coach Tessa Chapman said. “Overall we did a good job, but one of the things we’ll be working on is clearing the ball out on those rebounds on defense and keep on attacking while we’re on offense.”
San Benito, of course, is a first-year program playing in one of the fastest rising sports on the West Coast. Field hockey fever has hit San Benito, as 27 girls are on the varsity team and an additional 20-plus girls on the junior varsity squad. Although the Balers aren’t lacking for numbers or enthusiasm, they still have to adjust to playing a sport they’ve only become familiar with.
Junior Sam Martinez, who scored the team’s only goal 11 minutes into the contest against RLS, had never played organized sports before trying out for the field hockey team.
“Since all of us are starting out on equal terms, I thought I would have a chance at this,” said Martinez, who scored on a rebound after teammate Austin Perez delivered a shot on goal. “It’s a really cool sport, and the highlight is the team working together and learning how to improve together.”
Martinez said there was nothing special about her goal—“That’s where I was supposed to be, in front of the net,” she said—but at the high school level, a player being in the right place at the right time isn’t always a given. Cassidy Aalgaard, who played goalie in the second half, made a couple of nice kick saves.
Chapman is using a number of different players in a variety of roles before the team’s league opener on Oct. 2. By that time, she’ll have more of a set rotation. Even though Chapman would’ve liked to beat Stevenson or York—the team it lost to 1-0 in the season-opener—the San Benito coach said she’s been pleased with the effort of the team.
“The girls are taking well to learning the game and working hard,” she said. “The next couple of steps involve some more conditioning and scoring. We just have to be able to score.”
The Balers certainly had their chances against Stevenson, getting the ball often to within 15 yards of the Stevenson goal. However, once they got to within striking range, they either misfired on their shots or were beaten to the ball by the RLS players.
“We seem to be afraid to keep on going as soon as we get in that circle,” Chapman said.
There’s a clear difference between experienced teams and inexperienced squads when it comes to ball-control skills. That’s a key aspect that the Balers will be working on as well.
“The ball is actually pretty heavy and it comes at you fast,” Martinez said. “We’re all still learning how to play and maneuver to always be in the best position to score or receive a pass.”
In time, the Balers should improve in every aspect of the game. While they’re raw, they’re probably playing at a higher level than most first-year programs. Chapman made sure her girls saw the best competition around at last weekend’s Leigh-San Jose Jamboree, which was a collection of several of the best programs in the Central Coast Section.
