What!: Six games in and no Bristol wins
By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor
Six games into the season and the Lady Warriors are without a win in field hockey.
What!
“This is a bit of a change for us,” said Bristol head coach Melanie Jenigen. “I don’t think we’ve ever been under .500 since I’ve been here.”
Last season, Bristol earned a spot in the District One Class AA tournament after going 11-6-1, 7-5 in the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL).
After a 3-1 loss to the Truman Tigers Sept. 22 on the turf at Henry Morgan Stadium, the Lady Warriors were sitting at 0-5-1.
“Last night, I thought we outplayed them; we just couldn’t score,” stated Jenigen. “That’s a young thing. They get around the goal and get a little happy feet.”
Making matters worse, Bristol is also winless in the BAL, having been shut out by all three league foes.
The Warriors opened the season with back-to-back shutout losses to New Hope-Solebury (3-0) and Plumstead Christian Academy (5-0).
“[Scoring] hasn’t been a problem in the past; we’ve been pretty strong [offensively] up to now,” stated Jenigen.
But that was before the departure of Kelee Pinto, a player who tallied more than 40 assists her last three years at Bristol.
Last season, Pinto added 7 goals and 15 assists to her scoring resume but now she’s gone as are Jenn Jeager, Nicole Adamson and Bridgette Wise.
In addition to their league losses, the Warriors lost 3-1 to Bensalem and fell 4-2 in their season opener with AACA rival Villa Joseph.
A lone 2-2 tie to Friends Select is the only thing standing between Bristol and an 0-6 record. Despite their season mark, Jenigen insists her team has improved.
“We keep getting better in each game,” said the coach. ‘We lost [to Truman ], 3-1, but [we] actually played a lot better than what the score showed.
“We were in it.”
A few days before the loss to the Tigers, the Warriors took Lower Moreland to overtime before falling on a goal about seven minutes into the extra session. According to Jenigen, goalkeeper Gabby Frake stopped the initial shot but had no chance to get herself in front of the rebound.
Coach says her side knows it can always expect a battle from the Lions.
“Since I’ve coached here, Lower Moreland is our main rival; it’s like Dallas-Eagles,” explained Jenigen. “They want to beat us and we want to beat them
Last year, Bristol split with the Lions. The year before the Warriors won both. This year, according to Jenigen, Bristol hadn’t played well until facing LM but made sure they stepped up for that game.
The worst of the shutout losses came Sept. 18 when the Warriors lost 5-0 to Plumstead.
“I don’t think the score showed what our capability is,” stated Jenigen. “We were really good between the 25s; once we get over the 25 either way, we’re a little weak and that’s experience.”
Like Pinto last year, junior Leighann Morris has jumped from a forward line position to the midfield. That has meant making adjustments, said the coach.
“She's still getting used to that. Last night [vs. Truman], she had a really strong game. Against Lower Moreland, she had a really strong game. So I only see here getting better."
Sophomore Mackenzie Faight is another player the Warriors look to in the attack.
“She has really good stickwork and she’s really explosive, offensively and she has a lot of speed,” stated Jenigen, of Faight. “She’s a sophomore so she’s only going to get better.”
“We try not to rely on sophomores too much but we use her,” added the coach. “She’s been consistent every game and that’s been very good for us.”
Sophomore Daniella Reilly is another player who has been solid for the Warriors this season.
Both Reilly and Faight are splitting time between midfield and the front line.
Sophomore Morgan Cullen is another player earning a lot of minutes in the starting lineup.
“She’s been very strong—a solid player for us this year,” stated Jenigen. “And she’s getting better each game.”
Bristol’s defense is anchored by backfielder Mariah Strobele and their keeper Gabby Frake. The junior cage minder worked on her game a lot in the offseason and it shows. Against Lower Moreland, Frake posted 12 saves and practically stood on her head while shutting the Lions out in regulation.
“This year, she has stepped it up tremendously,” stated Jenigen. “Against Lower Moreland, she was unbelievable; she kept us in that game.”
Last year, Frake was a solid goalie playing behind a strong defensive unit anchored by Adamson and Wise.
“We were solid on defense last year so she didn’t see that much,” explained Jenigen. “We really didn’t know what we had back there.”
‘This year, she’s so confident. She knows what she’s doing back there. She’s playing the ball with no mistakes whatsoever.”
And that’s a good thing--something for the Lady Warriors to build on as they make their way through this most unusual of seasons for Bristol field hockey.
***
NOTES: Senior co-captain Kelly Pond was injured in camp and is struggling to make her way back into the lineup. Bristol beat Truman last year, 1-0, on a goal by Jeanie Shapcott.
***
2009 RESULTS
Sept. 4 @ Villa Joseph Marie 2-4 (L)
Sept. 9 Friends Select 2-2
Sept. 10 Bensalem 1-3 (L)
Sept. 17 New Hope-Solebury 0-3 (L)
Sept. 18 Plumstead Christian 0-5 (L)
Sept. 21 @ Lower Moreland 0-1 (L)
Sept. 22 @ Truman 1-3 (L)
Sports Editor
Six games into the season and the Lady Warriors are without a win in field hockey.
What!
“This is a bit of a change for us,” said Bristol head coach Melanie Jenigen. “I don’t think we’ve ever been under .500 since I’ve been here.”
Last season, Bristol earned a spot in the District One Class AA tournament after going 11-6-1, 7-5 in the Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL).
After a 3-1 loss to the Truman Tigers Sept. 22 on the turf at Henry Morgan Stadium, the Lady Warriors were sitting at 0-5-1.
“Last night, I thought we outplayed them; we just couldn’t score,” stated Jenigen. “That’s a young thing. They get around the goal and get a little happy feet.”
Making matters worse, Bristol is also winless in the BAL, having been shut out by all three league foes.
The Warriors opened the season with back-to-back shutout losses to New Hope-Solebury (3-0) and Plumstead Christian Academy (5-0).
“[Scoring] hasn’t been a problem in the past; we’ve been pretty strong [offensively] up to now,” stated Jenigen.
But that was before the departure of Kelee Pinto, a player who tallied more than 40 assists her last three years at Bristol.
Last season, Pinto added 7 goals and 15 assists to her scoring resume but now she’s gone as are Jenn Jeager, Nicole Adamson and Bridgette Wise.
In addition to their league losses, the Warriors lost 3-1 to Bensalem and fell 4-2 in their season opener with AACA rival Villa Joseph.
A lone 2-2 tie to Friends Select is the only thing standing between Bristol and an 0-6 record. Despite their season mark, Jenigen insists her team has improved.
“We keep getting better in each game,” said the coach. ‘We lost [to Truman ], 3-1, but [we] actually played a lot better than what the score showed.
“We were in it.”
A few days before the loss to the Tigers, the Warriors took Lower Moreland to overtime before falling on a goal about seven minutes into the extra session. According to Jenigen, goalkeeper Gabby Frake stopped the initial shot but had no chance to get herself in front of the rebound.
Coach says her side knows it can always expect a battle from the Lions.
“Since I’ve coached here, Lower Moreland is our main rival; it’s like Dallas-Eagles,” explained Jenigen. “They want to beat us and we want to beat them
Last year, Bristol split with the Lions. The year before the Warriors won both. This year, according to Jenigen, Bristol hadn’t played well until facing LM but made sure they stepped up for that game.
The worst of the shutout losses came Sept. 18 when the Warriors lost 5-0 to Plumstead.
“I don’t think the score showed what our capability is,” stated Jenigen. “We were really good between the 25s; once we get over the 25 either way, we’re a little weak and that’s experience.”
Like Pinto last year, junior Leighann Morris has jumped from a forward line position to the midfield. That has meant making adjustments, said the coach.
“She's still getting used to that. Last night [vs. Truman], she had a really strong game. Against Lower Moreland, she had a really strong game. So I only see here getting better."
Sophomore Mackenzie Faight is another player the Warriors look to in the attack.
“She has really good stickwork and she’s really explosive, offensively and she has a lot of speed,” stated Jenigen, of Faight. “She’s a sophomore so she’s only going to get better.”
“We try not to rely on sophomores too much but we use her,” added the coach. “She’s been consistent every game and that’s been very good for us.”
Sophomore Daniella Reilly is another player who has been solid for the Warriors this season.
Both Reilly and Faight are splitting time between midfield and the front line.
Sophomore Morgan Cullen is another player earning a lot of minutes in the starting lineup.
“She’s been very strong—a solid player for us this year,” stated Jenigen. “And she’s getting better each game.”
Bristol’s defense is anchored by backfielder Mariah Strobele and their keeper Gabby Frake. The junior cage minder worked on her game a lot in the offseason and it shows. Against Lower Moreland, Frake posted 12 saves and practically stood on her head while shutting the Lions out in regulation.
“This year, she has stepped it up tremendously,” stated Jenigen. “Against Lower Moreland, she was unbelievable; she kept us in that game.”
Last year, Frake was a solid goalie playing behind a strong defensive unit anchored by Adamson and Wise.
“We were solid on defense last year so she didn’t see that much,” explained Jenigen. “We really didn’t know what we had back there.”
‘This year, she’s so confident. She knows what she’s doing back there. She’s playing the ball with no mistakes whatsoever.”
And that’s a good thing--something for the Lady Warriors to build on as they make their way through this most unusual of seasons for Bristol field hockey.
***
NOTES: Senior co-captain Kelly Pond was injured in camp and is struggling to make her way back into the lineup. Bristol beat Truman last year, 1-0, on a goal by Jeanie Shapcott.
***
2009 RESULTS
Sept. 4 @ Villa Joseph Marie 2-4 (L)
Sept. 9 Friends Select 2-2
Sept. 10 Bensalem 1-3 (L)
Sept. 17 New Hope-Solebury 0-3 (L)
Sept. 18 Plumstead Christian 0-5 (L)
Sept. 21 @ Lower Moreland 0-1 (L)
Sept. 22 @ Truman 1-3 (L)
Labels: Bristol, field hockey
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