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11/18/2014 11:00 PMThe Valley Regional field hockey team made some major strides in the 2014 season. The Warriors won three more games than last fall while making it back to the Class S State Tournament.
Valley's biggest victory was a 1-0 triumph against a quality Immaculate squad on Sept. 16 and Coach Beth McCabe Powers also noted a 0-0 tie versus Westbrook-which made the Shoreline Conference championship game-as another plus for her club. The team's six other wins came against Windham (9-0), Somers (3-0 and 2-0), Watertown (2-0), and Morgan (2-0 and 2-0).
When all was said and done, Valley finished the campaign with a record of 7-9-1 following its 2-0 loss to Canton in the qualifying round of the state bracket. Coach McCabe Powers said "the future is very bright" considering her club will return eight starters next season.
"It was a great season for us overall. We had 18 new players out this fall and everyone gained a ton of skills," said McCabe Powers, who was assisted by Randy Netsch. "With so many returning next season, I must say things are looking very promising. We are certain with hard work over the offseason we will only build on the success of this year. Next season, the sky is the limit."
This season, the Warriors were led by their quartet of senior captains in goalkeeper Paulina Adams, defender Amy Zuse, and midfielder Lily Anderson, along with Amanda Baldwin, who missed the campaign with an ACL/MCL injury. McCabe Powers had plenty of praise for her captains, calling them "the backbone of our group" and adding that they are all "excellent student-athletes." Zuse was named Valley's Most Valuable Player and additionally earned First Team All-Shoreline and Second Team All-State honors. Adams made All-Shoreline Honorable Mention and Second Team All-State to go with collecting the Warriors' Team Spirit Award.
Valley also recently named its captains for next season in junior forward Lindsey McKeon, junior midfielder Katie Amara, junior defender Brianna Adams, and sophomore forward Francesca Daniels. Daniels scored 17 goals and dished out nine assists this year to win her team's Best Attack Player Award to go with Second Team for All-Shoreline and All-State. McKeon (1 goal, 6 assists) and Amara (1 goal, 3 assists) were Honorable Mention All-Shoreline selections, as were junior forward Natalie Rosenberg (2 goals, 3 assists) and junior midfielder Christine Donovan (2 assists). Other key returnees for 2015 include junior forward Acacia Bowden (2 goals), junior defensive midfielder Leslie Clapp, and junior defender Morgan Hawkins.